


Puss in Boots: A Journey to the Far Lands

by ezekiel0601



Category: The Adventures of Puss in Boots (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon Continuation, F/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Multiverse, Romance, Sweet Ginger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 00:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16800373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ezekiel0601/pseuds/ezekiel0601
Summary: During his time in San Lorenzo, Puss was conjured as a hero, though many of his heroic actions and sacrifices that he made to keep his promise and his new home at peace. Until a world-altering event strikes all hope that Puss had of his future and had to make the ultimate sacrifice. To leave San Lorenzo, its town, and his loved ones. Puss's time there might be over, but evil still lurks. As a fan continuation from the series, Dive into an epic adventure through the world he was brought back to. With Dulcinea, they will meet and help new friends and defeat foes as they go as far as the eye can see, where an unforetold destiny awaits them, and a familiar foe they faced and will face again for revenge.





	1. The Roads After

**Author's Note:**

> So this is in no correlation to being an official continuation from the series, and this is from my own personal take of their adventures and all the plotholes that the series left during its epic six seasons. I hope you enjoy and I thank you for reading this.

*Continuation from the series finale*

As they race on towards the desert clearing, Puss and Dulcinea continue their adventure with the memories of their shared past that created the momentum for making a better future not just as being better heroes, but to also bring them closer together as they head towards their next journey.

Journey 1: With a Past Comes A New Beginning

**_Chapter 1: The Roads After_ **

****

The bright light from the moon hovers as both Puss and Dulcinea rest after a mindless, but timeless gallop through the sandy lands that surrounded the Thieves Market and San Lorenzo. Their first peaceful night without the perilous of evil. The moon's light shines the trees and the lush land of green. The breeze blows through the night in which made the bed of grass dance, swaying over and over. The stars decorate the sky above while Puss lies to see just how beautiful the world can be when the eerie sensation of darkness evanesced. Yet it does not cover from the past that he has gone through. A past so convoluting, yet a past that forever changed him. To Puss, the world only brightens for him by the one that came, the Chosen One, who was with him, helped him, taught him, and see him change and understand the values of a true hero, Dulcinea.

"It's beautiful. Don't you think?" Dulcinea nears Puss while he gathers himself.

"Yes Dulcinea, it is."

The chilling wind gathered and strengthened. Puss gets up to start a fire. Dulcinea realizes the downcast look on his face and goes to him.

"What are you thinking about Puss?". Puss sighs then turn to her.

"I have been wondering about something ever since you in a way, returned," Puss says. He turns back to light the fire.

"What is it?"

"How did you come back?" His thought grows. "I saw you within the crowds of all the San Lorenzans. I saw you disappear. As much as I am very happy to see you again and trust me, I really am. I am also confused." Puss sits down to wait for a response while Dulcinea knows he needs to understand what Sino told her. She takes a small breath. "Don't you remember? I have a destiny. I'm still not sure what he meant, but he knows one thing, that I have not fulfilled that destiny yet." Dulcinea sits next to him as the fire starts to shrink. Puss makes a puzzling look. _Destiny?_ He asked himself. Then he remembers.

_Destiny_

_What destiny?_

Before he can think more of it, Dulcinea continued.

"Sino told me something else, Puss."

The statement catches Puss's attention.

"Sino spoke of something? What did he say?" Dulcinea can see in Puss's eye that he is full of wonder and thoughts of the knowledge is already overwhelming that she had second thoughts to giving him Sino's explanation.

"I think we should rest Puss. We've both gone through a lot and we should you know, enjoy this peaceful night while it lasts? Don't you think?" Dulcinea and Puss traded looks as he smiled. The wind picks up as he turns back on the grassy flatland.

"I do not ever fully understand the love that many others possess. I am a lover, but I always believed that I am meant to be alone. But you proved it wrong."

A slight pause, Puss then continues "No matter, All I care now is that you are here. But I just wished everything did not turn out like this. I miss them. All of them, the orphans, Pajuna's leche, Artephius, Senora Zapata" Puss stopped, forgetting something, or someone. Then hits him.

"Eames was it?"

"Yes, it was Eames Puss, but there was nothing you could've done. The world would not exist if you haven't made that sacrifice," She replied.

"I know...it is just hard thinking about how much I miss them."

"Oh, Puss..." Dulcinea embraces him.

"I miss them too."

The fire dies out.

Sounds of birds echoes as morning nears. Then footsteps of dried leaves wake Puss

"Is someone there?"

The tense foggy forest only deepens the feeling of danger, he goes to Dulcinea still sleeping. "Dulcinea, wake up"

"We're not alone."

Within the midst of the forest appeared a black cat. Old and hurt, one that Puss and Dulcinea will never forget to see as the cat stumbles to stay up.

"El Guante Blanco?!" Puss, as surprised as he is shocked to see his injuries. El Guante fell as Puss catches him.

"Maestro!" Dulcinea helps with Puss carrying El Guante.

"Ugh, Ginger..." He struggles to speak. "We are not safe here ginger." Puss and Dulcinea help him settle down.

"What do you mean Maestro? Who did this to you?" The look of his mentor angers him. He knows that he is strong, but something that can hurt his mentor is baffling to Puss.

He vows for revenge upon his mentor.

The one who helped him in his darkest times.

"No ginger, we need to go now before... "

"We get to you?" A voice echoes behind Puss. Puss turns around to see three human silhouettes. He readies his sword.

Dulcinea helps El Guante rest. "A lovely damsel with Puss?" El Guante grunts. "My ginger is full of surprises." he coughs. "You're going to be okay Maestro," Dulcinea said as she helps El Guante sat up, she gives him his hat. "I will be fine."

The appearance of the men looked way too familiar to Puss, only with a small insignia on their shoulders but he didn't waste looking at them. "Bandits, hah! This one I can handle! You are about to face the wrath of Puss in Boots! No one injures my Maestro. They will see themselves at the wrong end of my sword!" Puss prepares himself.

"Ginger! Be careful! They are not typical bandits." El Guante's warning seemed to only pass Puss as he strikes on them. A timed hit from the bandits injures Puss and he pushed back to Dulcinea and El Guante.

"Ow!"

"Please, giving an introduction in a fight. Surely, a fighter like you should know better." Puss is impressed by their choice of words. Yet, he is blinded by their origins that El Guante knows and Puss doesn't.

"For bandits, you seem to be educated. But educated or not, I will make sure you all will be defeated here. This I swear!" Puss regains his feet and stepped forward.

"Owh, you!" El Guante catches Dulcinea's attention. "Tell ginger these bandits are not bandits! They are Mercenaries! They work for _El Temido_!" Dulcinea looks on to Puss, still fighting.

"Puss!" Dulcinea shouted.

"Not now Dulcinea, I am busy teaching these bandits?"

"Maestro said they work for _El Temido_!" Puss freezes,

POW!

One punch from one of the mercenaries pushes Puss back again. He gets up, aware.

_El Temido_. . .

Puss realizes the level of threat he is in. Now he knows why he stumbled to the Thieves Market. He was running away. He gets serious.

"So, _El Temido_ still is not giving up for my head?" Puss softly speaks.

The mercenaries close in "The _precio_ is high my friend. We hunt for the White Glove. But you, to see the most wanted in his list be here, with that cat. He will be more than proud of us." The wind picks up. "Only if you can defeat me!" Puss and the mercenaries face off with the sounds of their swords clash scaring the birds off the high trees.

Clang

Clang

Swish

Bang

Puss strikes left, knocking one of them and keeping him down as he stands on him"

"But of course, but without a proper introduction my friend, I still see you as just another bandit"

"Oh? Where are my manners? Just call me Tuez, and trust me, you won't live to say it. You are as weak as those villagers we pillaged just looking for your old cat friend there. We will go far to get what _El Temido_ wants and ours. One cat won't stand against us"

Bang

Tuez's other accomplice gets knocked down, El Guante looks on in awe. "I did not see that coming," he says to himself.

"Then how about two?" Dulcinea spoke as she stands on a fighting stance. Two cats, two unconscious mercenaries, Tuez tries dodging but gets hit as both Puss and Dulcinea land a punch in both sides of Tuez. He gets back up and drags his two friends with him away. Puss retrieves his sword from the fight and points it towards Tuez who struggles away. He says one final speech to Puss.

"You have gotten lucky _El Gato,_ but next time will be a different story. If I were you, I'd keep running away like you always are. Cat in Shoes."

_No._

_I will never._

_Never again._

The mercenaries disappear as Puss and Dulcinea go to El Guante, still struggling from his injuries.

"Maestro. . ." Puss sees him weakening as he helplessly thinks. "What to do, what to do, what to do. . ."

Dulcinea thought about what Tuez said. "We should go to the village they raided. It can't be that far." Puss agrees to the plan, but he wants to know more. During his time in San Lorenzo, his mentor wanted to retire. But maybe he might be hiding more than just for him to hide. Puss whistles to call Babieca. A white horse who has been with Puss for as long as they traveled together. Puss and Dulcinea help to put El Guante in the back and they hop on to leave for the village.

El Guante clears his throat. "Puss, you still have not introduced me to your beautiful lady here." Dulcinea giggled.

_I forgot I went back. I would have been talking nonsense if I talked about our adventures._

"Oh uh, yes maestro. This is Dulcinea, she is my uh." Puss wonders if he should share their level of relationship with his Maestro.

"Really?"

"Heh, you do not have to rub it into me ginger" El Guante laughed, then coughed.

"That is not important right now Maestro, what happened?" Puss says as El Guante looks at Puss, blank. Puss has never seen his mentor hurt. It is hard to bear for him, and it is no different to Dulcinea. The one who she read amazing adventures with them, here. She remembers him from back then. Their adventures, it felt like yesterday, they were off to find a way to make Maestro young again. Now he doesn't know much as like how they first met. But now, it took a turn for the worst.

"Ginger, and your niña, I thank you for your help. I do not know if I could survive after that, but please ginger. _Por el bien de mi estudiante_ stay out of this one." Puss knows his Maestro cannot handle another blow. His gut tells him to not ignore this, as much more than how important he is in his life. His knowledge exceeds himself and Puss knows that.

"What do you mean your student?" Dulcinea spoke as her concern grows.

They all paused as they see a thick cloud of smoke in the distance. Puss and Dulcinea's heart sank as burning houses and farms spreads with thick smoke filling the atmosphere. "What happened to the villagers?"

"I have told them to hide. They traveled west while I led the mercenaries east, where I stumbled upon you two. They are merciless, and this is all my fault! This frail body cannot handle this anymore and now I have made everything wrong!" El Guante panics. Dulcinea hugs him to calm him down "It's okay El Guante, we all make wrong choices sometimes."

Puss looks around the remains of the town. It is something he can never unsee.

"Maestro, you should be proud that you have led everyone to safety, we need to find them and see if they are alright." El Guante smiles "Ginger, you make me proud to be your maestro. It already feels good to be alive, Hah!" El Guante jumps down Babieca and cracks his fall. "Ow, maybe too soon?"

"Are you going to be okay here El Guante?" Dulcinea said

"I will rest for a bit here. I will only slow you down" he points at the two broken wood barrels. To Puss, it reminded him of the mayor.

"On we go Babieca!"

Hills and trees surround the west path the villagers have took to escape danger, but Dulcinea has a sinking feeling of the unusual distance they took to seek refuge. "Puss, don't you think they would have stopped by now if they are just running?" Puss wonders. "No, something is not right, I can smell it" Dulcinea got confused.

"You can smell it?"

Puss sniffs and smells something he hasn't smelled for a long time.

"Paella! It smells good!" Puss shouted. "There Babieca! That must be where the villagers are at." He points at a small cave in between two tall trees, a small puff of smoke can be seen.

As Babieca gallops his way to the cave, Dulcinea notices a thief overlooking above the rocks of the cave. "Puss Stop!" Babieca made a sudden stop, throwing Puss and Dulcinea off.

Both groaned. Puss gets up "What is it, Dulcinea? Owh."

"There is a bandit up there Puss and if he sees us, he will warn his friends and we'll get those villagers into more trouble. These bandits must've gotten the hand on them while they were running away" Puss navigates the area. "You are right Dulcinea, hmm"

"Puss, what do you have in mind?" Dulcinea watches one of the bandits while he eats paella.

"Dulcinea, I will create a distraction and lead them away from the villagers. You can get them to safety while I take care of the rest, got it?"

Dulcinea nods her head.

Puss traveled to the right overlooking the cave where the bandits are compiled.

"I wish Maestro would see me to the flying through the air move. I know this will succeed." Puss jumps and spins to a bandit on his face, losing his balance and falling. The bandits' notices. Dulcinea rushes in to help the villagers. "Hello?"

A woman draws near her. "Please help us. Our village is burned down."

"Then come with me, quietly"

A child goes to Dulcinea. "Kitty!" sits down and babbles. Dulcinea smiles.

As she leads the villagers, an elderly woman grabs her hand. "Oh yes?"

"You. . . you are more than you are, aren't you dear?"

"What do you mean?" A surge of nervousness takes over her. Another villager takes the elders hand off of Dulcinea. "Miss, we should do this later," he says.

"It's Puss in the Boots." one of the bandits spoke out, giving attention of the villagers and bandits.

"I am Puss in- wait, you know me already?" Puss even with a small shock is astounded to hear. "My reputation precedes me. Yes! I am Puss in Boots! I demand you-" A bandit suddenly lunges to him. Puss jumps back to safety.

"He is worth a fortune! Much more to _El Temido_." Puss stands back.

"If you are going to get me for his reward. It will not be easy." He jumps from tree to tree, while dodging the throws of their weapons. "Get him down!"

Puss leaps to a bandit and strikes him.

_Four more._

He jumps up to avoid a slash, then ducks down and gets through the legs of a bandit and struck his lower body. He cried in pain with bruises while Puss strikes the last two with both his sword due to his height. All the thieves staggered and ran away.

"It feels just like old times. Right my muscles? They can't handle the power of Puss in Boots!" He hurries back to join the others.

Back at the village, he sees the villagers already working with the fires. He sees Dulcinea helping a group of kids as the villagers’ help repair their school. The cheer and laughter of them gave flashbacks to Puss, his most trusted squad he could ever wish for. But in himself, he knows there is always room for more. He goes to meet them.

"Hello, my fellow friends!" Puss cries out as a young girl and her pig hides behind Dulcinea. An older skinny male slowly walked back. Two in the very back playing tag ran on to Puss without seemingly knowing he is there. One had a scar through his right forehead. Then ran around him in circles, cheering. "Uuuuh Okay?".

"Hey Puss, how did it go?" Dulcinea walked closer to Puss and hugged him, the young girl looked, confused. "They couldn't handle the awesome power that is me."

"Awesome power?" One of the twins spoke.

Puss starts bragging. "Yes, the power of three cows! I scared them like it was nothing!"

The young kids wowed as Puss continued to press on with his amazing adventures.

"Puss?" the adults of the small community gathered to him. "Thank you so much for helping us from the thieves, I am Isabella. Mother Rosy seeks you both. She has something to say." Puss and Dulcinea looked puzzled.

"Sure, where is she?"

"Down by the riverbed sweet felines. Once again, thank you!"

They made their way to Mother Rosy, she wore a red coat, hunched back, and carried hundreds of jewelry on her arm. She now had a gold staff to help her balance.

"Dulcinea" Mother Rosy spoke, a certain glow in her accent makes her different than her fellow villagers, a little raspy on the edge to them, but just enough to fully understand her wording. "I sense you carry great power. My staff also wonders about your origins."

"Yes, uh Mother Rosy" she replied, "I am a tulpa, the third tulpa created from the lifeform of the Great Mage Sino," Dulcinea spoke with a hint of proud as respect to her maker.

"Understood Dulcinea, and you Puss-" He interrupts. "Is a great hero!" he glances his hands and feet with an unbearable smile. Dulcinea facepalmed. "Uh, yes. But I called you here to heed you a message." Puss is filled with wonder. "What is the message?"

"A dark force has summoned upon your return here in this world. You may be back to your past Puss, but this force has existed since the timeline of the present." Puss, shocked by the fact, questions the authority of Mother Rosy.

"But that is impossible, the past never changes, and only until where Sino has left me is where everything was at a standstill" Puss replies.

"Sino had another option that he put in mind while he was there to correct his mistake."

Puss is surprised. "Wait, what?"

"The collision between worlds is a sole clue to what lies ahead of your quest Puss, Sino has brought you here not only to save the world but to fulfill the question you kept asking yourself" Puss giving a hard thought to what Mother Rosy stated.

The question I keep asking myself?

"The power you contain cannot be balanced with others. It locks in a hold of mishaps and destruction. It kept you from understanding your own self.' She continues "This is why I asked Dulcinea her birthplace Puss, because if I were to ask you where you came from, could you answer?" Puss's mind goes numb. Dulcinea looks to Puss with a worrisome feel.

"That is true, I do not know where I came from." Puss sadly complies.

"Then continue on your journey, the road that lies ahead will not be a smooth one for you two, but with the knowledge intertwined with your action, only then can you really succeed."

Puss and Dulcinea return to find El Guante, not in the barrels.

"Where did Maestro go?" Puss said as Dulcinea picks up a torn paper. The handwriting was not a good shape to a point of a recognizable level, but Puss can understand it.

"I am sorry ginger, I cannot let another one of my students fall for this. You are just as important as much as the one in trouble. El Temido wants me and only me, for the sake of him, adios ginger." Puss is shocked. "Maestro, what have you gotten yourself into."

"We need to get to Maestro; his life is in danger!" Puss and Dulcinea run to Babieca to follow the trail of El Guante's horse. "We go! For El Guante Blanco!"


	2. A Wizard's Quest

**_Chapter 2: A Wizard's Quest_ **

Questions without answers, knowledge without truth, and a hidden mystery are what bothers Puss. Deep inside, Puss feeling of constant worries, to being whimsical about what Mother Rosy said, bothers him to what he really needs to complete. Saving his mentor.

"Puss, we both know your mentor. He can handle himself." Puss looks back, her innocent eyes have always meant her words true. He knows it too.

"Dulcinea, I am aware of that. But something about this does not sit right with me. Like what does he mean by a student and he is involved with El Temido" Puss conveniently smiles for a small moment then frowns. "El Temido works in the shadows, I have never seen him in my own eyes. Probably because he is scared to face me and all, but for one thing. He has the brain to strategize his ways to get what he wants. If he is after my mentor, then that is saying something, and that is something bad."

Afar from the skittles of trees with the orange colored sunset, Puss and Dulcinea notice a group on horseback. "Quickly Babieca, into those bushes!"

After a jump down to the bushes, they take a closer look to see a purple robed man that seemed to lead the group. A scar in his left cheek can be seen, with a small scepter equipped on his back. The group stopped to see the robed men turn to Puss and Dulcinea's location. He grunts and looks to his soldiers and they jumped down from their horses, swords at the ready.

"Puss, they're onto us," Dulcinea warns as the soldiers crept closer.

No choice, we need to fight.

Puss jumps out slashing, slipping one of the armed soldiers down. Two of them pointed swords as does Puss. Dulcinea jumps out of the tree and kicks them both in the face. Leaving only the robed man left.

"I demand to know who you are, old man. You dared to attack us with your minions and now we will get some answers."

"Look at what you did! Surely do you just attack whoever is in your way onto this path? They were going to lead me to something important!" The robed man talked, Puss and Dulcinea are surprised to hear a distinct, and clear voice of a younger man then what they thought it would be. "Wait who are you really?" said the curious Dulcinea.

He removes his robe, throwing it high in the air as if he's a hero. In front of them is a child. No less than fourteen years old to Puss. He showed signs of scars in his right hand and bruising in his feet. Dulcinea is surprised and even more to understand what he went through.

"A child? Uh? What is a weak child doing here?" Puss came surprised but then the said child violently attacked Puss in a flash raising his hand and magically lifting Puss up as if he was nothing. Dulcinea sees and approaches him, but then he magically created a blue sphere around Dulcinea, trapping her and turns back to Puss.

"Don't you call me a child. Magically talking cat." Puss struggled to breathe as he is shocked to the bone the power this child has.

"Let him go! Puss!" Dulcinea cried. "We're sorry for what we did but let us go!"

The child suddenly notices his doing and dropped Puss and Dulcinea. Puss collapses and Dulcinea rushes in to help, the child follows.

"Puss?"

"I am ok. Dulcinea" Puss says hoarsely as he gets back up.

"I'm sorry! I'm terribly sorry for what I did." The small child kneels to the two felines.

"No, it’s ok uh?" Dulcinea said.

"Oh, it's Matthew, and you two?" Matthew returns up. He gives a slight smile.

"I am Puss in Boots!" Puss shouts.

"And I'm Dulcinea!" she follows.

"I am sorry for calling you weak. It just came out of my mouth, For some reason." Puss said as he shook hands with Matthew. "But what are you? You have some amazing powers only a wizard would have."

"That's because I AM a wizard. Can't it be more obvious?" Matthew replied with a grunt.

"Oh. . . yeah" Puss nervously laughed "You are right, how much more can it be obvious."

"But what are you doing here?" Dulcinea takes count of his scars and bruises. "And what's with the scars?"

"I'm seeking for an item, something of my very own importance. I need it for my own personal business. But this is found somewhere only those guards would know but you ruined it." Matthew turned back to his horse. Realizing what he did, Puss suddenly felt bad of his actions.

"Oh, uh well. My instincts kinda took the toll on me and I naturally fight who dares to harm me or Dulcinea." Puss walked to Matthew as Dulcinea notices a noted paper on one of the soldiers.

"You're not wrong though, I would fight if my life is in danger but now, I might have to wait for another group to pass." Dulcinea casually joined the conversation. "I think I might have found your solution, Matthew." Both Puss and Matthew convert to her.

Dulcinea presents to them a small handwritten map of the surrounding land, a line stretching north of their facing lands on a small town just on the coastline of a blue sea, whereas another that intersects left of the road, a mountainous road that stretches high to the skies. Puss begins to wonder where that would take them. He loved the times of adventure, especially when it is the unknown.

"That's the Westside Harbor" Matthew points at the small town. "next to the Great Blue Sea."

"Dulcinea, perhaps we should ask around the town if they have seen El Guante Blanco." Puss deliberately tells her. She looks at him. "Great idea Puss."

Matthew catches them talking. He wants to know more. "Who are you guys looking for?"

"Oh, we are looking for my mentor El Guante Blanco!" Puss proudly says. Matthew seems to remember something earlier, he looks to them as he explains.

"I think I might know something. As I was going to make my way to their hideout, a lone black cat with a chestnut horse zoomed past us."

"Puss, that's definitely El Guante!" Dulcinea quickly said. "Perhaps he did stop by Westside Harbor."

"Then on we go! To the Westside Harbor! To find El Guante Blanco!" Puss's determination shines within his own positive notion in his quest. Matthew quietly disturbs him. "Yeah, you guys will find this mentor of yours, while I go look for my relic. These soldiers might have been leading me there."

"Uh sure, Matthew," Puss says as they take off. The glimpse sphere shape of the moon rises as they make their way to Westside Harbor.

The coastline view of Westside Harbor glares with the setting sun as the group of travelers enter the Spanish cultured town. With Spanish type architecture, it was as bright as the yellowish sands that fill around the Great Blue Sea. Locals that traverse around consists of many varieties. Traders, Merchants, Blacksmiths, wide arrange of humans, cats, masked men.

"This is one bustling and busy community." Dulcinea looks around with awe. Puss seemed to ignore her with the grotesque feeling of hunger as he sees a public cantina far left of the town. Without their supervision, Matthew took off on his own searching for his missing item. Dulcinea noticed after. "Puss, where did Matthew go?"

"Not now Dulcinea. This journey has taken a toll on my tummy part and I am dying for some salmon and leche." Puss says while he makes his way to Pablo's Cantina. Dulcinea follows. The glows of the night lights decorate the maroon colored walls of every building in Westside Harbor. Smooth and rough enough to not look old and rusted. No difference in either daytime or night. Puss enters the cantina bustling with the doors forcibly pushed. It was filthy, but a populated place. Dulcinea sneaks behind Puss as they are overwhelmed by the sounds of talking, games being played, and drinking. They gaze themselves at the kitchen to see a small goat. Probably old for his age, with a shiny necklace he wears that sparkles orange with the glow of the lights nearby. To his left is another but bigger goat, He seems to enjoy watching over the bar as much as his big muscles show. It feels intimidating to Puss but he tries to care no less. Puss and Dulcinea hop on the tall stools next to the kitchen and Puss give attention to the old goat. "Excuse me!" Puss shouts.

"Ah, a-cat, two cats, just more to to-be a problem fer me? It ain't goin fool this old Pueno." The old goat's voice seems out of place for Puss. A pirate like voice working in the cantina? A response too suspicious for the two felines to hear. "Uh, yeah? I, Puss in Boots, only ask for two leches and a fried salmon Pueno." Puss throws out three coins in the front. Dulcinea awkwardly smiles.

"Ah so yere nawt wan of them eh? Them's a-sneaky when they com here. Try to stiel my treasure!". As much as Puss suspects about a pirate voice, he gets curious of his problem. The buff goat comes closer to the felines. "Don't mind him you two really." He caves a deep voice, not surprising for the two just the look of his physical attributes.

"What do you mean? Has something gone bad?" Dulcinea asks while Puss collects the salmon and leche and and gives one to Dulcinea.

"Well, there has been a number of bandits around." Puss somewhat expected of this situation, especially in a crowded public area. "It seems to grow more and more. They merely just come to the kitchen front and then they would silently say that they ask for a treasure, but I don't even know what that treasure is. Oh, I'm James by the way. This is my uncle, Pueno."

Puss's curiosity grows. "What might the treasure be? If I so may ask?"

"Well I am only guessing is that thing he is wearing." He nods his head to the Pueno's necklace.

"Oh, a jewelry? Well, this might be just basic thugs. I can take care of the bandits, no problem." Puss adamantly says before James adds. "One thing, they are cats. Like you" Puss looks, confused. "Cats?"

"Yeah, cats. Them dirty felines are the ones entering and reaping to rob him of his uh, shiny."

"This is madness! Not only they commit the crimes, but they are also one of us! These evil Gatos, we will bring them to justice!" Puss says. "Wait, don't you want to ask around for the whereabouts of Maestro?" Dulcinea asks Puss as he pauses and looks at her with a frozen glare. "Ah yes!" He turns to James. "Is there by any chance you have seen a cat, but he is a black cat with his left-hand white?"

James immediately replies. "Oh, the one who wears a brown hat? He looked tired. But he was here yes, My friends Imel and Lynda took him to the clinic just north of here. He should be there if I still remember.

"Ah thank you!" Puss licks his leche for the last time with Dulcinea as they finish it. They leave the cantina and took one look around the village. "We are getting closer to finding the Maestro, but if he is resting, then we should handle these cats and bring them to justice!" Puss says to Dulcinea.

"So if they always come back to keep getting the treasure, perhaps they might come tonight?" Dulcinea's theory gets to Puss. "You might be right, we should stake out and wait for their. . . Suddenly he blacks out.

The feeling of dizziness strengthens on Puss as he awakes to find himself in a black pitch of darkness. An empty vacuum of space around him, nothing but pitch black. He begins to wonder where he is at. "Hello?"

"Dulcinea?"

"Anyone here?"

_What is going on?_

A bright orb appears, with the power brighter than the sun himself. Puss finds himself in deep trouble.

"Who are you! What do you want!" Puss can't do anything but for his hands to protect from the brightness of the entity.

The space brightens more and more as he is then transported into another realm, the brightness disappeared and Puss visions a room, old, rusted, dark, and gloomy. A few steps around and Puss sees an empty pedestal. A round shaped center with a small cube of space. With the darkened hallways and doors, Puss thought of realizing of being in a nightmare. Then he wakes up. "Puss!"

"Puss!"

He looks to see a beautiful damsel, Dulcinea, cradling his head. She hugs him.

"You're okay!"

"What happened?"

Puss looks around to see himself a little far from Westside Harbor. To his right, he sees three cats. Masks and belts to signify their looks of robbers, but they are tied up and bound as he looks back to Dulcinea.

"These are the robbers Puss, they threw a big rock and you fell. I fought as they took you to this hideout. Well, I was able to subdue them. But I thought I might lose you. As I said, that was a hard throw." Dulcinea happily chats.

"Ha! A small rock cannot hurt me! For I will not be Puss in Boots!" Puss says high and mighty. But he thinks of what he saw while he was unconscious. What did that mean? He takes steps to the robbers. Their identical clothing keeps them from being physically apart.

"Please don't hurt us! Look, we just want that necklace back! It belongs to us!" the middle one talked. The other two look on with fear of such power that female cat can endure.

"You get the means of getting it back, only to find robbing as the only successful way of doing so? Surely you can think of something better than that. You know something like asking for it first?" Puss sarcastically replies. "What is so important about the necklace?" Dulcinea asks.

"First, we just wanted leches for free. Then someone was asking around for a something and we happen to find it on that old goat. If we can take it, we would get the money." Puss looks on grumpier. "Who is the mastermind behind this?"

"Well, he's a young boy, a wizard you know. He is about 4 to 5 ft tall or something like that." That quickly gets into both Puss and Dulcinea's mind. "Wait, is his name Matthew?" Dulcinea hastily asks.

"Well yes, have you met him?" Puss and Dulcinea look at each other. "Yes, we have."

"We will surely help resolve this, but you need to think of other ways to claim on riches. Not just robbing. Have you not had enough of being defeated repeatedly.”? Puss tells them with a pure heart.

"We know, but he keeps taking out that string that we can't resist." Puss knows very well what they mean. "Yep, I can understand that now. Let us be on our way, you are coming with us to the cantina to apologize. Then we will know more about the necklace. We go!"

"They all travel back to Westside Harbor. A cliff away with the bright light of the moon hovering as their way to see through the night. The arc that forms the entrance is very recognizable to an extent of its profound shape as they enter the town and then into the cantina. But to Pueno, it is not a welcoming one. He is still in the middle of a cleanup when they enter.

"Y-y-you guys againe! Jahmes! They have returne! Tht orange Pust in Boats is weith them! Get the strang!"

"W-w-wait! Pueno. These three cats have come to apologize for their constant attack." Puss says as quickly as James pulls out with a string. He then returns to put it back after.

"Ah, laddies com to saye sorri to ol Pueno?" Pueno with his ears open hears their apology. "We're sorry, we are just in need of money." Puss gets an idea on resolving both of their problems.

"Pueno, for an exchange with your necklace you are wearing. I kindly say these young one asks for ways to earn money for a living." Pueno thinks twice on his offer.

"Wella, Pueno doesn'te likee thise anyway. Thiese thang is prette heavi, I founda this thiang on the graound while runnin from attk of maskd men bac at El Pueblo. It ony look shiny so I taek it. Here you goe." He hands over the necklace to Puss as he thinks of something. "El Pueblo? Is not that the place we saved those villagers from the attack."

"Yes, Puss," Dulcinea replies.

"Ahh ok." Puss blatantly opens the door to see Matthew wandering around for a long time of constant question of the relic now Puss possess. He runs to Matthew as Dulcinea follows. "Matthew!"

"Puss? What is it?"

"Is this the relic you are looking for?" The necklace holds a small white stone in the pure center, smooth and gentle to the touch. "This is it! How did you find it?" Matthew holds it as he is surprised. "Well in the least likely place you'd find it. The cantina." Dulcinea answers.

"Well, then I will be on my way. With not much else to do here. I see you two another day?" Matthew walks away with a smile as Puss and Dulcinea both look on. "Haha! With everything here at peace! Once again I have saved the day like I always do!" Dulcinea gave a gritty face. Puss awkwardly smiles "Hehe, you too Dulcinea."

"As they make their way to the clinic to see the Maestro, Puss overhears a conversation with James and Pueno.

"What was that stone inside Pueno? I'm sure you know what that was." Pueno gives a simple answer. "Well me young’un, back at meuh pirating dais, many of the wishy washy magick alwais says about theyre neads for a smoothe waite stone. Thei sometimes call it Arcanium Corrrelinium but thei don't take theyre time and jast call et the white roacks. Dulcinea immediately recognizes what he says. She stops to think where she has heard that before until she remembers with her conversation with Artephius.

Then it hits her.

Dulcinea gasps then dragged Puss to the corner.

"Arcanium Corallinum. Puss that ingredient is the crucial ingredient used for summoning something dark." Puss felt confused. "What Dulcinea? You are now just talking nonsense, but I do not blame you, that leche Pueno gave us is not as better as Pajuna's." Dulcinea grows fearful. "Puss! Arcanum Corallinum is what Uli used to summon the Blood Wolf!" Puss jumps out. "What? Summoning another creature? No no. This cannot be!"

Puss, the spell summons a creature that only depends on the location, it might summon us another portal to the netherworld! Or anything! We must stop Matthew for completing the spell if that is his intentions!"

Puss loudly replies, we will stop him, but we need to see the Maestro if he is okay. We have no time to lose, we go! Quickly!" Puss and Dulcinea dashes to the clinic.

Inside the clinic shows two nurses, Imel, and Lynda caring for the elderlies when two rushing felines zoom to them.

"Quickly! We need help! We are looking for someone here named El Guante Blanco? He's a black cat with the white left hand? Dulcinea quickly asks.

Imel is surprised to see the rush with them, especially at this hour. "El Guante ya say? Yes, he was here though. He left a while ago all freshened up thanks to Lynda.

"Oh, you haha!" Lynda says to Imel.

"This is no time, for now, we need to stop Matthew from getting the portal open up. What does he want with it? Let's go Dulcinea!" Puss says on their way out. He whistles to call Babieca, One of the house lights on. A man opens the window to see what is going on outside. "Hey! It is late, what's with the whistling!" Puss freezes for a moment. "Sorry about that!"

Babieca skedaddles to Puss and Dulcinea as they hop on. "Babieca hurry! Back to El Pueblo! We will stop Matthew from repeating the same events that I, myself and Dulcinea has gone through. So, swears Puss in Boots!" They take off faster than they ever before.

"As they plow through the misty forest, Puss and Dulcinea get flashbacks on everything that happened in San Lorenzo, all the chaos the town has received and endured to get a reality they live in now. The injuries and sacrifices they have gone through to fix the mistakes and problems that was formed as those events continued. The call to seeing Sino to help overtake the problem that costs Puss and Dulcinea their highest price for those to happen. As they think about this. What will happen when it open again.

_No, it is going to be terrible._

_No, it shouldn't happen again._

_What is Matthew up_ to.

The return to El Pueblo was a little quieter due to the community sleeping. A hint of smoke rising in the air with a special color gets Puss and Dulcinea's attention. "He must be working it there."

"Let us go Babieca!" They galloped into a white marble house that wasn't as damaged as the rest, the smoke shows a plum red as they enter inside to see Matthew, just as he was going to put the Arcanium Corallinum. Puss readies his sword as Dulcinea stands by his side.

"Matthew! Drop it! You do not know what you are about to do!" Puss forcibly shouts. Matthew freezes by the count of the reason he needs to open the portal.

"No, Puss! I need to do this." Matthew resumes to walk onto the boiling cauldron. Puss throws his sword that bounces the claw out of Matthew's hands. Puss grabs it as it shoots back at him. "Haha!" Puss says.

"Give that back!" Matthew's hands glow a deep blue as Puss and Dulcinea prepares for a fight. "I need to complete what I need to do!" Matthew shoots a struck of energy that nearly missed Puss's boots. Both he and Dulcinea jumps away from being struck as an easy target as Matthew continues attacking Puss. "Give it!"

The sounds of broken bottles and books tumble as Puss dodge his attack.

"Why are you doing this Matthew!" Dulcinea asks as he continues with his rampage.

"You two wouldn't understand!" Matthew sends a final shock that knocks Puss down. As he struggles to get back up Matthew inch his way closer to him to retrieve the last ingredient. Dulcinea grabs his right hand and pulls the opposite way to avoid getting to Puss. "Matthew! We already have gone through this monstrosity, this spell you're making will have disastrous consequences!" Matthew looks at Dulcinea and strikes her with a bolt, pushing her back hard behind a cupboard full of pots and flowers that fell with her as she struggles to get back up. Matthew retrieves the ingredient and makes his way to the cauldron. Puss, will immense power and the thought alone for history to repeat, grabs his robe and pulls him hard, it flew Matthew far enough from the roadside and crashing into a pile of bushes. Puss runs with his four and subdues Matthew with his robe that he bites to take a rip and tie his hands that enables him to summon his magic. Dulcinea recovers and joins Puss. "Dulcinea! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Puss, but you took quite a shock," Dulcinea replies.

"No, I am more shocked at Matthew's own misdemeanor," Puss says.

"What are you doing? With that kind of magic." Sadness hits Matthew as he gives up on the secrecy. "Please, let me go! I need to do it. I need to find a way! I need to. . ."

"But why? Why risk? Do you know how much I have gone through for this?" Puss says as Matthew somewhat interrupts him. "My fathers in there!" Puss and Dulcinea went silent.

"Your what?"

"My father! I want to save him! I want to find him and see him!" Dulcinea suddenly feels sadness as Matthew cries.

"He disappeared while I was young. The fool of me, I'm the reason why. He is gone because of me!" Puss gives a numb stare.

"Your father?" Puss quietly says

Matthew continued. "I was a dumb child. I was so in love with what my father was doing. He was asked to open a way to search for an artifact. It is something that he was asked to do. I always loved my father and his ways of magic, but when that love grows too much, it made me impatient. He saved me from my own foolishness. When I added that ingredient. It shook." Matthew sobs. Dulcinea starts to connect with his feelings as she puts her paw in her mouth. "The portal opened and there it almost caught to me, a thousand hands, devilish hands reaching for me. The portal grew permanent Not until my father came to save me. But what is the costs? Him. He lets himself get dragged by them. I thought I would never see him again. I followed upon his works and finally found all the ingredients I need to summon and find him, alive in any ways possible!" Puss stares blandly as he is dumbfounded by what he went through to see his father again. Dulcinea reaches to Matthew still crying and give him a hug. "I'm sorry Matthew. We will help you find your father. You need to understand that the portal is a portal that can be opened from one world to another. It may not even be the world your father has gone. It also summons the monsters of the other side we never see with our eyes. It might be hard to find Matthew but there will always be a way." Dulcinea removes his knot and resumed hugging. Puss doesn't know much how to feel for losing a family.

_I was a nomad._

_I was always alone._

_Not until Dulcinea came to my life._

He realizes the feeling of losing somebody, now that he has someone to care about. Mother Rosy walks by to see Dulcinea and Puss. "Puss, this path you walk on will reveal your true calling."

"What do you mean Mother Rosy?" Puss, Matthew and Dulcinea look on to Mother Rosy.

"The answer you seek Matthew, lies on the path Puss will take to see his true goal." Matthew looks at Puss. "Puss, what are you going for?" Puss slowly looks back at Matthew.

"I am to find my Maestro Matthew. Something is wrong with what he is going through, and something tells me he might need more than himself to save it." Puss calmly says.

"Mother Rosy, I'm sorry for what I've done. I have my thanks to Dulcinea and Puss." Dulcinea and Puss smiles as they look on each other. "Puss, may I join you on your adventures? Mother Rosy means to say that the answers I'm looking for might be when we get there." Puss sees him with a small smile. "We will find your father Matthew and my Maestro. This I Swear!" The overexcitement Matthew and Puss bear always glint a happiness to Dulcinea. Mother Rosy slowly returns to her home to rest as the sun rises in El Pueblo.

Swiftly, the birds sing.


	3. A Truthful Journey

**_Chapter 3: A Truthful Journey._ **

". . . then, slowly but cautiously he went for a preemptive strike while I fought the pirates. Me, some 10 pirates, and the huge shark. Haha!" Puss laughs with disregard to know the exasperation of his stories from both Matthew and Dulcinea. Babieca shows the most. Being Puss's partner for years, yet he still can't ignore his meticulous but false storytelling. At least that's what Babieca thinks.

 _Do you ever learn to enjoy a peaceful stroll in a secluded forest?_ Babieca wishes to gain his power to speak again.

Puss continued, still lacking his own indigenous annoyance. "Then afterward, I cautiously prepare myself, as the epic finish rises!"

"You jumped on the shark and flipped the ship!" Matthew finally gives out. "We both know!" Puss's tone couldn't go over Matthew and Dulcinea. He gets rather confused.

"Ha! I see you have been listening to my wonderful and fantastic stories of the great Puss in Boots!" Like a body of water shined with the sunbeam, Puss felt appreciable.

"Yes, Puss. That fantastic story you literally been talking about since we left _El Pueblo_!" Dulcinea quickly mentions the hardness of Puss arrogance. Puss starts to see their point. "Oh, I guess I did" He adds a nervous laugh. It's a relief to Matthew and Dulcinea.

Especially to Babieca.

The sprout of day hovers above Westside Harbor as they return to seek more knowledge on the whereabouts of El Guante Blanco. The sprawling streets only get decorated with the community on edge with their daily schedule. Babieca gives a small neigh, thinking he could bump into people if they stay with him.

"Alright, we are back!" Puss, Dulcinea, and Matthew jumps down Babieca as he leads himself to a place where he can relax, not from the journey back.

But from his ear. Still whispering the constant voice of Puss.

The three look upon the clinic. "So, what is in the clinic?" Matthew seems relatively addled. Dulcinea gave some light on their reasoning. "Well this is where El Guante was before he left. We didn't really get our answer because-" She was hesitant to explain more from the lack of their long presence, but Matthew knows. "You don't have to feel bad saying it." Dulcinea suddenly felt light.

"We need to know more on where my Maestro traveled" Puss says with a grin on his face as he and the others walked into the clinic. The smell of brewed tea and the lit of the candles strengthens as they enter. It was more vibrant than when they traversed here last night. Imel and Lynda, both as white as the clouds. Headed towards Puss. Imel had a gold ring with strange carvings, but the small yellow stain on her right side of her hips was more distinct. Lynda was bigger than Imel, but not too big to not fit through the front desk. "Have you found your _gato viejo_ you itsy, cutey feline?" Imel had a cracking voice, it doesn't reach a point of graze in their ears. Imel leaned closer to Puss and squished his right-side face to bounce it back and forth to show her love of cute animals. Puss groaned as Matthew and Dulcinea chuckled.

"It is pronounced handsome!" Puss jumped back. "But we, Puss in Boots, Dulcinea, and Matthew demand more information on my Maestro's whereabouts"

"El Guante Blanco" Dulcinea made clear the teacher Puss is mentioning.

"Well, yeah you were in a hurry when we saw you last time" Lynda joins in the conversation, it gave the full attention of Puss, Dulcinea and Matthew as her accent is clear.

She continued. "He did ask us that day after nursing him back to health to find a vessel to traverse the Great Blue Sea." It left as if a thousand spikes have rammed into Puss's body. "Wait where did he go?"

Lynda leads them outside the clinic and points west. "You should go to the docks. I helped him get there to ask the sailor Guel". Dulcinea quickly responded "Great! We should ask the ferrymen, he might know where El Guante is going."

As they are just about to leave, Lynda forgetfully added "Oh wait, make sure you kinda give respect to him." That didn't go through to their ears.

The cold feeling of the water slams them as they enter the harbor. The logs lining up to create the paths to the wooden ships, all perfectly in line and ready to sail the seas. With many of the travelers entering in and out of the docked ships. One looked different than the others. Where he wore a striped shirt and worn out pants, topping it off with a bandana. Dulcinea thinks this is who they are looking for. "Guel?"

He is leaning on a wooden barrel. His stare is disturbing. He is thinking of something, but his ignorance of his surrounding shows it clearly. He finally took notice on two felines and one skinny human. He had a commanding tone, raspy but forceful. "What do you want?"

"Hello. . ." Dulcinea questions his full attention. He stays leaning. "Can we ask if you have talked or helped an old cat around to sail?" Guel stays indecent. "Yep" he strolls his attention to a ship. "He boarded a crew, same a-place, might as well join em." Guel gave them a straightforward direction to one of the ships. They gallantly head towards it. A mixable color of brown and black differ the ship from the rest. A small group already settles in it as they boarded it. Matthew sees a gut-wrenching bucket that even he wouldn't want to know the content of. A collection of them being tattooed, covered sailors. Carrying barrels around to confine a neat space. Upon the ships' deck stands a woman, who remarkably shows promise to Puss as she looks at him with awe and interest. Puss suddenly feels strange with being in this particular group of sailors.

 _Something is not right with this_.

"Daniela!" Guel shouted as she walks towards them. "They's a-looking for a black cat that you a-brought." She stares at the felines with a broad smile. "You a-think you canna help them?"

She immediately replies. A certain glare like outcasts gives an edge to her words. "Eh, no problem. I can take care of them laddies."

Guel takes his leave back to the harbor as the three heads inside the deck with Daniela, much eager to know the three travelers "Hey mates, what ya got with that cat of yours."

"That cat is my Maestro" Puss savagely answers. Dulcinea notices his tone and cuts him back. "Well, he respects him a lot I guess, but we think he is in trouble and he went ahead without us." Daniela backed up, looking at the side. "Interesting…"

"We crew will take care of ya, just relax here." She opens the door; the hallways were tightly spaced. Daniela opens a wooden door, leading into a living room like compartment in the ship. Circular windows give a clear view of the horizon of the Great Blue Sea. Puss, Dulcinea and Matthew takes a seat to relax from the journey back."

"Me and my crew will take it from here and we will take ya all to where we dropped your eh, Mustro?" Daniela looked back while opening the door to leave. Puss groaned. "Maestro…"

"Yeah, right uh. I catch with y'all later." She turns outside.

"I'm sure ye will."

Puss grew suspicious from the time they entered the rusted ship. Matthew notices his disturbance. "What's wrong Puss?"

"Something is off with this let me say, sailors." Puss implies his suspicion. "They do not seem like sailors." Puss gets up cautiously, looking at the window in the door. Matthew switches to Dulcinea.

"Is he always this suspicious?" Dulcinea gave a slight grin. "He's Puss, he has gone through many things. To him, being suspicious is his trait."

Matthew turns to Puss as he went out to know more about the group. He sees him in a new light. "What do you mean 'went through'?" his temptation to know more deepens. Dulcinea gives him a small summary.

"Well, we used to live and cherish in a place called San Lorenzo." Matthew is surprised to hear those words.

_San Lorenzo?_

Dulcinea continued. "Puss is, well was the hero there. We first met in the Thieves Market. The world has changed even since his steps inside." Matthew feels the need to understand more. Dulcinea traverses back to her biggest memories of her old home. "It was the time to be alive. We went to wild adventures, collecting artifacts, fixing his mistakes. He just wants to be the hero he wants to be remembered, he wanted to reverse his wrongdoings." She loses her connection to reality as she goes on. The sounds of the open ocean disappearing. "He always tries to show how much of a hero he is, always brags about it. To me, the mistake for him coming to San Lorenzo and causing all the destruction within doesn't mean a mistake to me. I always think he is more than just a hero. Even Sino realized that. Maybe that's why he must leave. Maybe, just maybe." Dulcinea returned to see Matthew falling asleep through all the deep thoughts Dulcinea shared. She strokes his hair and stays by his side. Her thoughts continue to flourish the exciting thoughts and memories of her and Puss's past. Her ears sank thinking about it.

Puss heads to the top of the deck to speak with Daniela. She steers the wheel valiantly as the seas roughen. "Ah, the pretty cat with two boots." Puss hightailed to the railings. "It is pronounced handsome!" Puss realizes his forceful tone and backs it down. "Oh, and uh. My Maestro, did he say anything on where he is going?" Daniela continued steering.

"Well, that might be. He seemed troubled at the start and he bailed out as soon as ye dropped him. He didn't even give us mates tips!" Daniela laughed shortly. Puss starts getting aware of their choice of wording.

_Mates?_

_Are not those spoken by pirates?_

Puss returned below deck to see Matthew and Dulcinea sleeping soundly, Puss regains his thoughts and the awareness of the situation.

_It does not matter._

_The only thing to know is that they will take us there._

Puss clears his negative thoughts and sits next to Dulcinea, her posture inadequate to comfortably fall asleep but Puss bears no mind to fix. Just yet Dulcinea slouches over, falling her head to him.

Puss didn't mind about it, either.

But it made him more comfortable.

The sudden weightlessness awakens Puss as the rough sea strengthens. Sounds of small items of furniture inside the room fall over and break as the Puss looks around. He felt trapped with his hands and boots. The shallow darkness covers the room. Hard to see but the small cracks emitting light from the moon. He took longer to realize his sword is missing. Dulcinea and Matthew wake up after, also tied with ropes.

"Uh, Puss? Where are we?" Matthew points out as Puss and Dulcinea questions similarly themselves. The cold feeling of small iron bars gives Puss the idea of where they are.

"Puss, I think we're trapped," Dulcinea calls out. Puss growled in madness.

"I knew it! There is something fishy going on here, and I will get to the bottom of this. So, swears Puss in Boots!" Matthew looked in disbelief to know the need to proudly shout his intentions. But he was right about being suspicious. He didn't deny it.

A fracture of light grows as Daniela closes in with her prisoners. "Well, you mateys really made it easy for us." Puss first looks at them before noticing a figure behind them. The light from the torch helped clear the picture of El Guante. Bound and tied. "Maestro!" Puss yelled.

"What is the meaning of this? I demand to know!" Daniela laughs that makes a loathsome frown to Puss. Dulcinea goes to Matthew "Well can you do something? Probably your magic. I think it’s best to use it here?" Matthew becomes aware and needs to spell out the truth behind his magic. "To be frank Dulcinea, I don't know how to activate my magic." He gives a nervous smile. "Hehe?" Puss faces him, surprised. "Great!"

"Well mates, no hard feelings. You know, a pirate gotta so what theys gotta do." Puss now has the strong urge of taking them down. "Pirates, I knew it!"

"Tomorrow, we're off to feast upon our success! These mates here will be proud of us." Daniela shows in front of them the wanted poster of Puss and a separate poster of El Guante. He already knows who wants him. Badly.

 _El Temido_. . .

"So, sit tight laddie, it'll be a charm to wreak some gold." Daniela laughs again as she and her crew leave the cell. Puss wasn't happy with the situation, yet he already knows the lack of knowledge they have about cats. "Puss, what should we do?" Dulcinea struggles up.

"Dulcinea, I want you to reach on my boots" Dulcinea and Matthew were startled with the action Puss is asking her. "Whut?"

"Well, I think it might be a mistake, but I think it should be fine today."

Dulcinea grabs one of Puss's boots with her legs and out revealed the key to San Lorenzo's treasure vault. "The key is still in your boots?" Dulcinea spoke with total shock. Matthew didn't show much reaction.

"Well we did go back in time so maybe there is a duplicate?" Puss questions with curiosity. Dulcinea couldn't catch a glimpse with the rules of time and space. But it stopped lingering in her mind with the sole focus of escaping the cell. Puss further explains his plan.

"Dulcinea, the sharp extension of the key, try to turn around and grab with your paws to slice my knot." Dulcinea, finally aware of the plan, already started converting to grabbing the key. Puss turns around to present the knot and Dulcinea with just enough space between her paws, grabbed the key and saws it back and forth. The small burning sensation and freckles of the knot accumulate in Puss's paw. As the strength of the knot weakens and finally let’s go. Puss used one of his claws to scuttle the keyhole on the lock of the door and shakes it until it clicks to show it worked. The iron door squeaked shortly as Puss slowly pushes. He returns to Dulcinea and Matthew to but their knots with his claw and they started sneaking out to the cell across them. El Guante, looking dead but is asleep due to his slight snoring. Puss wakes him up. A memorable cat faces him. He instantly recognizes. "Ginger!"

"Maestro, are you alright?" Puss helped him stand up. But El Guante lets go for a moment, still showing some strengths left in him. "I'm fine ginger, but I should have been more aware of my bounty from pirates. They look for nothing but gold." El Guante veers toward the exit as Puss regains his sword from the haystack next to their cell. They made their way upstairs to only meet the entire crew. Daniela already aware of their escape and her men with their swords at a standstill, waiting for her command.

"It's a good thing to me, that I didn't underestimate you all eh?" Daniela looks on her fingernails.

Matthew and Dulcinea clenches their fists as Puss sheathe his sword. El Guante watches in cover as a faceoff commences.

"If you want our bounty. You will have to fight for it." Puss hands his paw to Dulcinea. "Shall we?"

"You shall"

Puss and Dulcinea spun rapidly as Puss releases for her to kick one of Daniela's men, others follow through to Puss and Dulcinea as they fight. Matthew goes and tries pushing one of the men. Due to his heavy weight. The pirate taunted Matthew, "You're a weak hatchling." Matthew from the fit of rage, shined his power. His energy charges. The confused pirate isn't aware of the transformation as Matthew gives a hurl of energy at him and plunges him to the deep water. The other men, fear throughout their bodies, watches.

"Don't call me that!"

Puss continued slashing attacks. "Haha! Nothing can stop me!" Puss with might in his heart outmatched their fighting strength of two men and flips them down, injuring them. Dulcinea acquired the weapon from a fallen pirate and stabbed it down on the wooden floor. Using the sword like a pole to deliver a smashing kick around her.

"Capo Ferro!"

Daniela proceeds to Puss with a mighty sword. It glimmers with gold as she slashes once. Puss flips to dodge it as she spins the opposite direction to hit him again. "Ha!"

"Why don't ya stop for once!" Daniela, with her sluggish moves, gave Puss an opening and he takes it.

_Slash_

_Slash_

_Kick!_

He pushed her back, but Puss loses attention for a moment and slashed him with the sword. The sword knocked him out of the ship and held on to one of the ropes that helped with keeping the mast in shape. Daniela immediately cuts it and with-it Puss into the depth of the ocean below.

"Puss!" Dulcinea can only spot his hat floating on the surface as she continued fighting. Matthew forms a spiral shield to push back the rest of the crew. It immediately disappears as Matthew passes out.

"Matthew!"

Dulcinea hangs back to protect her fallen friend. El Guante went out from the deck, but the unsteadiness of the ship urged him to retreat. Dulcinea, now surrounded with Daniela and her crew, thinks of her next move. But the thought of Puss never goes out of her head.

An utterly disappointed Daniela move forward from the crowd. "You, you and your mates made me lose my gold, he might be long a-gone, but your Mustro will be fine enough. Surrender you scallywags, you're surrounded." Dulcinea watches her in complete madness. Yet, sadness to understand the outside world isn't as innocent as being in San Lorenzo. The unforgiving world not only gives for its good nature but its flaws as well. El Guante watches in shock, as he knows he's too feeble to fight back. He only realizes now that he will need their help. But he might have realized too late.

Puss wakes seeing nothing but blue.

A desolate place.

Nothing but water.

He sees the ship and he swim his way to it. To only notice from the near horizon, a dorsal fin can be seen. "Oh no!" Puss shouted as he meticulously struggles to swim away as it bounds closer. He screams in agony as he looks back with the open mouth of a shark. Just as the jaw snaps, He gives in to dodge the shark's frontal attack. With the muscular power of the shark, it was able to turn back to Puss just as he starts swimming up to gather air. Puss took a quick breath and dives back down to see the shark's sharp teeth in inches as Puss strides left. Puss swims back up for more time to see the rope he held on to. That gave him an idea.

_Come and get me tiburón._

Shark makes one final turn for an attack. Puss strikes left and knocked the shark, biting the rope, getting it lodged between the two side teeth. Puss immediately swims above the shark and grabbed the two ends of the rope. Like a Pitbull rodeo. The shark struggled to shake Puss. Without knowledge. The shark starts swimming forward. Blindly. "Haha!" muffled Puss. The shark leaped once in the air, giving Puss a breather as they dive back down, Puss still in control. He forced the shark on the direction of the ship. Unaware of the events occurring in it.

_Puss in Boots to the rescue!_

Dulcinea moves back, dragging the unconscious Matthew with her as the pirate draw closer to them to subdue them.

_BOOM!_

A forceful shake roared on the ship, everyone loses balance as they are all blinded by the origin of the impact. Dulcinea further moved back to El Guante with Matthew.

"What is going on?" Daniela cries out. She ran to the side to see Puss, on the verge of grabbing his hat still floating standing and moving incredibly fast. "Who is this cat?"

Puss dives in with the shark for another hit, the ship slides left, most of the crew fell off. The ship veered back to normal as Daniela held on. Dulcinea and El Guante are still puzzled on where these hits are coming from.

Daniela moves toward the low deck. "This has gone-a far enough!" She yelled as she closes in. Dulcinea, prepares to elude, only to be greeted by a wall of white and grey. Daniela completely disappeared in front of her. Puss leaps off the shark as it completes its full jump over the ship, Daniela lands in the water as the shark swims away in fear. "Ahh!"

Dulcinea sees Puss and ran to him.

"Puss!"

"Dulcinea!" They share hugs.

The ocean calms as they steer away from the carnage. El Guante approach Puss with a thought. "Ginger, I remember you once told me a story about this. Ten pirates with a shark. I never knew I would see it with my own eyes. Haha!" El Guante laughs tremendously. Puss took long enough to realize it. He stands strong as he speaks with power "Ha! Once again! I prove myself not only strong and handsome, but I am also the greatest hero that ever lived!" He clenches his fists.

"I never knew your story would be true." Dulcinea happily says.

"Of course, they are!" Puss wonder what Dulcinea means for that. "Do you say none of my amazing adventures, you believe they are real?" Puss was stupefied. Dulcinea thought twice on what she said. "No! Not that I don't believe it" Puss grumbled. Dulcinea served a nervous smile with her eyes winking.

"Anyways" Dulcinea diverts his attention to El Guante. "Where are you going, Maestro?"

El Guante looks down. "El Temido. He is holding one of my new students' hostage. I need to get to him. But I have to do it alone." He walks to the side, looking over the horizon as the sun rises. "But we can come with you Maestro, we can help you!"

El Guante immediately replies. "No! This is something I must finish on my own. If he finds out that Puss is with me." Puss steps up. "Maestro, this is something you have trained me to do. I can help you handle your problem." El Guante looks to him

"But I also trained you to understand which your fight is, and which is not. Ginger. . . you will not understand." Puss can't deny his level of worries towards his teacher. "Well at least let us escort you?"

"No, you will only escort me there" beyond the horizon, a mixture of green and grey can be seen. "The land of Kema" El Guante adds. "It will be dangerous for you Ginger, I ask that you turn back after I land there. Please, ginger." They all look upon the land as it draws near. A land Puss and Dulcinea have never seen before. The feeling of terror crawls upon them as they docked.


	4. The Land of Kema

**_Chapter 4: the Land of Kema_ **

A gloomy feeling glimpse over Dulcinea and Puss. The land isn’t bright, not a flinch of daylight as a cloudy storm hovers over buildings of stone walls and wood. Wolves scatter over the land. Not with wings as Puss remembers, but not as different as feeling the sense of danger always linger with them. It is a roaring place. Not as much friendly as the village of Westside Harbor. In the outskirts of the buildings sit many yellow filled lands. Crops cherish in the land, the tips create a swirling wave, they danced along the breeze of the upcoming storm. Dulcinea flinches right from the bow of their ship, easily noticing that El Guante again, disappears. Puss approaches beside her, his goal never itches a difference since their return to the past.

“We should look around. This land does not sit right on top of my chinny chin chin.” Puss glares at the wolves. A grim reminder of his time in San Lorenzo. Dulcinea grabs his hand.

“Puss, you’re wanted. It wouldn’t be safe being out there. Who knows who is on the hunt for you.” The worries overwhelm Puss. “Dulcinea, I know, but it is all the same for my Maestro, If _El Temido_ wants me, he will have to get me himself.” Dulcinea sees that he has a point. It gives her an idea.

“Puss, we should try to change your look. So that they won’t know you’re the one from the wanted list.”

“What?! No! Remember the last time we change my look, and we only change my boots!” Puss haphazardly raises his hands to show his madness. “It literally changed me!” He turns back. “No, we should not try such blatant ideas. Who knows what might happen to me.”

“Hey” Dulcinea pushes his right shoulder to face her. “We’re not going to change your boots Puss. Just something so that it will slightly make you different. So that we don’t face every bounty hunter we find here.” Puss understands what she is giving. He agrees to the plan. “Alright, but something small. Not to make fun of me or making me look bad for someone being a hero.” He stumbles toward the deck door. “Nothing is any more important than the visual aspect of a hero.” Dulcinea wholesomely disagrees. “Puss, I thought we went over this.”

He gazes at Matthew, sat up after a long rest, almost losing the memory of what happened before. Dulcinea races to him. “Matthew! You’re ok!”

Puss places his hand on his sword, a glint of a smile on his face. Matthew rubs his eyes. “What happened.”

Dulcinea reaches her hand to his, “In a way Matthew, you passed out.”

“What?”

“I think your magic might have been too much for you to handle.”

Puss opens the closet next to a corner table to see what the pirates had.

_Two striped and wet shirts,_

_One black and white bandana,_

_and two small pants._

_None of these are the appropriate attire for a hero as crucially handsome as me!_

“This is a disgrace!” Puss yelled. It gave both Matthew and Dulcinea’s attention. “Well, what would I have expected from pirates.”

He thinks shortly.

_Wait. . ._

“Treasure!”

With an explosion of excitement to see what might be under the cabin of the ship. Puss races downstairs. Matthew and Dulcinea watch him pass them. “So, mind telling me what’s going on?”

“Oh! Well Matthew, since Puss is wanted and that we are looking for his Maestro again. . .” Matthew sighs with the sense of boredom.

_We might as well tie them both, so we don’t have to keep looking for his Maestro._

“. . . we need to alter his appearance so that we won’t get fought by everyone who’s getting the reward money for Puss.”

Small rumbles in the lower level followed by a roar of a disappointment of Puss can be heard while they talked. Puss stomps his way back up. “Ah! Nothing! What kind of pirates not have any treasures! They might have the correct clothing that I need!”

Matthew moves his way to the closet. “These are fine, I guess.” He grabs the striped shirts.

“In no way I will wear such. . . thing!”

Dulcinea goes to Puss “Hey! It is something just so that you would look different. It’s no big deal!”

Puss groans. “Alright! I will wear it. But I despise it! It is not even washed!” Matthew hands over the shirt. It dangled as he spreads it in front of him. Nevertheless, he took one sniff of the shirt, gagged and puked in the ocean.

“I really regret this”

Wolves surround and travel in packs as the three heads towards the rural town. The storm slowly dies out. It gave a little more view of the landscape as the fog dissipates. The yellow colors of the wheat glitter from the raindrops. Without letting them know, Puss went ahead of the two. A stroll through the fielded land is peaceful to him. Not until what he sees ahead. Puss gets the constant tendency to get his sword as the wolves terrorize a nearby home. Three wolves were in the doorstep. Two were small but the one was terrifyingly buff. Their conversation was so loud, they all can hear it.

“. . . the landlord isn’t going to be proud for me without his money…” His voice was commanding, while his two seemed a little goofier.

“Yea! You stupid!” he laughed goofily. The third on the left went across and slapped him in the head. “Can you just shut up?!”

“Eh? Sorry. . .”

The homeowner answered frightenedly “Yes, yes! You will get it! Just give us a little more

time.”

“That is what you said last time, now I’ve had enough excuses! You’re as useless as the chef

who cooked us our dinner last night.” He spreads his paw, revealing the buff’s hard claw, adding on his laugh. The two joined in.

“Hey! Only I get to laugh! You morons.”

Both said in time. “Okay, Okay Bruce!”

He turns back to the owners. “No more gawking, time for you to pay up!”

“Hey!”

The three turns around. Seeing a small feline in front of them. The choice of clothing questions

them. Bruce laughed.

“How dare you laugh at me!” Puss gets agitated by the response. Less he realizes the reason

for their laughter.

“Where are you going? To a play?! Even Tye here knows how to dress up better than you.” He

presents Tye. His eyes are offset, and his tongue is constantly out of his mouth.

“Wow! I was recognized! Ha! Mark!” Tye excitedly points out. Mark sighs.

“Oh, brother.”

Bruce continued laughing. Puss reached to a boiling point.

“No more talking!” He sheathed his sword. Bruce gave a grim stare. “No one talks to me like that and gets away with it! For I am--” He spoke empty, knowing that he is wanted. “Uh”

“You are?” Bruce is curious.

“Uh, Man-- Manuel with Shoes!”

Mark questions the title. “Manuel with Shoes? Are you not wearing boots?”

“Do not question the ways I call my boots!”

Mark raises his paw in agreement. “Alright, Alright.”

“I don’t really care, you’re not our problem.” Bruce turns around to the owner of the house. Puss can see his short silhouette.

“I suggest you turn back. . .” Bruce uttered out. Puss jumps high in front of them, hating on being ignored, and lands on his feet. He gets up and points his sword at them. “How dare you turn your back on me!” He kicks Bruce, but to little effect.

“Is that it?”

He slaps Puss once, he fell back, hitting the wall of the house. A visible crack on the marble wall from the hit. Puss struggles to get back up. Tye and Mark watch their boss’s strength.

“Like I said Twinkle-boots. You ain’t my problem.” He slowly closes into Puss.

“You are my problem. This nice home is under my protection!”

“Alright! I’ll pay!” A small voice coming from behind the house.

“Ahh, what a good turn of events.” Bruce turns to the doorway. He grabs the pouch, sacking with coins. Puss helplessly watch as the pack walk away, panting. The small man comes to Puss’s aid, even though he cost him his fortune. Yet, when he looks at him, it reminds him of someone, it decimated the thought it a little as Dulcinea and Matthew come after, seeing his condition “Hey, what happened?!”

“It is nothing Dulcinea” Puss grabs his hat. Dulcinea knows it’s more than nothing.

“Don’t leave on your own Puss. Are you forgetting you’re wanted?”

The short man hears their conversation, his gesture changed. “What, you are one of the wanted cats?”. His sudden speech grabbed their attention. The wind starts to gain power “Come in quick!”

The warming atmosphere gives a comfortable feeling of relaxation. The small light from the candle flowing to the gusting wind outside reveals two young children. Sleeping comfortably on the side. Dulcinea is surprised by their power to sleep through all the rampage that happened earlier. Matthew finds a small stool to sit and starts to meddle with his magic. Still clueless about the strategy to harness it, while Puss and the man talked.

“Are you alright _mi amigo_? You and your family are now under my protection”

The man produced a shy gesture as he spoke. “Well, uh. Thanks-uh a lot you know. . . for trying to-uh stand up to them.”

“It was nothing, my good sir” Dulcinea blatantly enters.

“Oh uh, call me Julik.” He grasps his hand in front of Puss and Dulcinea. The slight shivering of his hands keeps in tow of his nervousness. Puss and Dulcinea shook hands with Julik just as he explains of his course of actions. “It is-uh not really safe here for you-uh Puss. The _Alakapines_ keeps-uh their eye out with you and a black cat.”

Puss replies with no disregard for any feeling of worriness. “I have been getting such blatant warnings _se_ _ñor_ Julik.” Puss backs to the cloth entrance of the home. “But I am no hider, I am no cheater, for I am Puss in Boots! No one and nothing will humiliate me who gets in the way of my heroic deeds!”

Dulcinea, who took more into the detail of Julik’s explanation, walked towards Julik. “Wait, who are the _Alakapines_?”

His constant shivering bears as a warning to Dulcinea. “So, uh they have taken over the lands here. They have-uh took them. They-uh have been threatening us to-uh work for them.” Shocked and baffled, it drew the attention for Puss as he looks back at Julik. “I didn’t want-uh someone else to-uh get hurt-uh because of me.” Julik stares down, “I’m a weakling! A weakling!”

“Daddy?” A voice behind Matthew grew. One of the children woke up from the locomotion. Julik stood up and went towards the child and runs his hand to the back of the child’s head. “No no, it’s ok Rhet. They are friends.” Rhet took one look at Dulcinea. She smiled back. “Okay, Daddy.”

“Puss further questions Julik, “What do these _Alakapines_ want from you?”

“The money-uh I gave. That was not-uh enough really.”

“Do you have any more _acunar_?” Dulcinea asks.

Julik sighs with grief. “No, we don’t-uh have enough for all. Bruce-uh might come back for-uh the rest.”

Puss flew with anger, clenching his paws. He realized being weak made Julik pay the price.

_What did I do._

_Felina, forgive me._

“Maybe we can try to talk some sense to Bruce? After all, it’s him and the _Alakapines_ that took your freedom. You, your family, and this town don’t deserve this kind of punishment.” Julik turns on her, seeing promise.

“You really think-uh so?”

“Yes!”

Puss ultimately sees the amount of backfire with the plan. “Dulcinea! You do not still think giving these _Alakaratapinenenes_ a chance to be nice and giving to the people? Uh, if that is even how you pronounce their name.” He flings his arms high. “They literally hurled me like a ragdoll, and that does not mean they have any good in themselves!”

“But Puss, you can’t always draw a sword in everyone you meet, what connects us all in living things is that we have a heart.” Dulcinea happily presses her hand in her chest. “It’s what we all have in common, and it is on our decision whether we stay true to it or not is what matters.” She turns to Julik “Perhaps I can come with you, for support in helping us understand the situation and Bruce’s.” Julik feels a slight tension of the idea.

_Julik. It might be the only way to help get rid of the curse_

_Maybe you should Julik._

He takes a deep breath. “Alright, uh Dulcinea? I’ll-uh try.”

Dulcinea jumps in excitement. “Hooray!”  
“But what about my kids? My wife is-uh still on a long-uh distance trip.”

She glances around as she thinks. Puss blindly stomps around from the feeling of being a weakling. It always comes to him whenever and wherever he goes, from being in the Netherworld and just being in San Lorenzo, not being the Chosen One. Matthew starts to get annoyed by it. “Puss, are you alright? You should calm down you know.”

“Ah!” Dulcinea grasps an idea. “You and Matthew should look over to the kids while Julik and I head to Bruce.” Puss, full of the feeling of the danger and the lack of safety, fully denies. “No Dulcinea” he rushes to Dulcinea. “I must come with you! For your sake!” he pauses, “and uh Juliks as well hehe.”

“I’ll be fine Puss, I thought you knew already.” Dulcinea pushes back his arms.

“I know! It just sounds epic to finally get my revenge upon them!”

“No, Puss, we are just heading there to talk, not make a scene.”

Puss agitated by her decisions, groans. He mumbles his way out of the home. Matthew stands up to Dulcinea, “We’ll take care of them. Puss will too.”

“I’m sure it's nothing you and Puss couldn’t handle.” Dulcinea happily replies.

“Definitely.”


	5. A Lesson to an Unforgiving World

_**Chapter 5: A Lesson of the Unforgiving World.** _

Traversing through the desolate and quiet town, Dulcinea and Julik head towards the town center. Packs of wolves that belong to the _Alakapines_ matches around joining with the town villagers, yet the community runs completely well. The hold that these people have but visually, it doesn't seem to be tormenting them. As if they are used to it. To Dulcinea, this symbolizes something upright. Much to her memories about the Bloodwolf, and his minions. This proves her continuous thought that everyone has a good side. The Bloodwolf came from a portal of evil. But these are just ordinary.

_They don't seem to have an intent to fight._

Dulcinea expresses her thought "For a town, they don't seem really affected by the group that took over. They don't seem interested in the people. Only for money."

"It-uh does seem that way." Julik's impression of the wolves to him is more menacing. He feels that Dulcinea missed out on some other knowledge about the group. To the left, one of the wolves bears a strange insignia. A collection of shapes, with a red circle and a line cutting through vertically with another smaller red circle inside. She recalls seeing the same insignia within the bandits. A plow through the dirt field across the front porch and she gives the wolf his attention. "Hello?"

He was busy with other commodities when that weird cat wearing battle armor honed in. As

much as he works and travels around, he has never seen someone like her. He turns around to see the full view, along with her is a small human. But he paid no curiosity other than the heavily armored feline. "Who do you work for first?"

"That's an odd thing to ask." Dulcinea gave thought on what would make that wolf ask, she

loosely realizes the choice of clothing. "Oh, I don't work for anyone, this is just what I wear. But we have a question for you." The wolf took no time to spend on some farmers thoughts. He crackles and spits out his words rashly.

"Sorry, but I ain't got time for questions."

Dulcinea sags her ears, not wanting to not be noticed. Nevertheless, she continued. "It's simple, but do you know where Bruce and his two other friends are at?"

He crosses his hands. A sense of carelessness exists with his gesture, "Brother Bruce? Ain't much sure about it, but he camps north" He gives a straightforward direction, pointing at the greenish bump of hills further north of where they are. "He's there, but I'd like to know why." He itches his face close to Dulcinea, Julio runs back behind Dulcinea whom her happy manner stays. "Oh! We are just asking some things that are concerning, that's all."

"I'd be more concerned about me own life." He slowly stands straight. "Bruce isn't someone you ain't getting a chance to change." He touches his bottom chin, giving an incident. "Tulio once asked the reason for violence and _dios mio_ he can permanently see the result of questioning it." He gives a gesture of a scratch through his right side of his face. Julio reacts with indulging fear as he further backs away behind Dulcinea. "Oh"

He laughs discreetly, with Dulcinea and Julik walking away to further meet Bruce.

"Oh man, I wonder what terrible, horrifying and potentially, fun mercenaries or thieves Dulcinea and Julik are going through." Puss miserably plays with his sword. Knocking a small vase in the process. Matthew confronts Puss to remind him. "Shh! Puss! These kids are sleeping!"

"Oops, Sorry." Puss picks up the vase, small fractures on the left, but Puss notices more into the vase's design.

_What a weird vase. It smells weird and looks weird for a flower to be placed on._

As he puts it back, Matthew clenches his hands and spreads them in the air. Puss, utterly confused, watches him. "Matthew, what are you doing?" Puss lifts the frontal lobe of his hat.

Matthew gave focused eyes. "I'm trying to unleash my magic. I somehow activate it and I'm sure you know that."

"Of course" Puss replies, Matthew took a glance at Puss after returning to focus.

"Well, as I said back at the ship, I don't actually know how to summon it and control it." Puss took a step closer. "Well, I am no magic user, but I do remember wielding a magic sword." One of the toddlers moved from the loud conversation. Puss freaks out, with both his paws in his mouth and Matthew grinning at him. "You know what? Let's take it outside."

The chilling wind from the resulting storm runs cold within Puss as he leaps out of the cloth covered entrance. Matthew follows, continuing his concentration.

"Matthew, I thought you already have mastered the art of magic." Puss coherently shares his expectations.

"Well, Alchemy is what I somewhat taught on my own." Matthew free himself from focusing, determined to explain. "It's just that, I might also have anger issues." Puss lies down on a wooden bench, looking at the greyish sky.

"That explains a lot about back there," Puss replies

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. But by the look of what happened, I wasn't myself." He straddles back and forth, like a patient explaining his issues to a therapist. "Somehow, when I lose my control of anger, it changes me a lot. But in a way, it helps summon my true magic, it made it a little easy to control, easy to manipulate. But I guess it only happens when I lose it." Puss sits up, gave the impression that he understands Matthew's explanation. He knows in a way, he can relate to that behavior.

"Matthew" Puss directs himself to him, landing a paw in his blue garment. "You know Dulcinea?" Matthew looks at Puss.

"Your girlfriend?"

Puss instantly overwhelms with shock and disbelief. He struggles to form his words

"Uhh" Matthew jokingly smiles.

Puss clears his throat "Anyways, I always thought of being a loner, a fighter, always have thought of needing no one. Now that I think about it, I have made more messes in my lonely time and adventures that some might be impossible to set it right. Well, Dulcinea and San Lorenzo are the reasons I think I might have mistaken for my identity." Puss puts his attention to the dancing wheat as sprinkles of their seeds fly along with the wind. "San Lorenzo help me understand the importance of having a home, even though I, myself never felt home." He slightly pauses, giving back to the golden days of his real home. Dulcinea helped me understand what it means to truly care. I am an excellent lover I have rescued a countless number of princesses because of an awesome hero like me, but none of them can really be as similar as to the times I had with Dulcinea. I say she and San Lorenzo have tried many times to help me, they never gave up on me." Puss takes a deep breath as Matthew still is curious about something.

"So, you're saying you guys are couples?" Puss groans, he hears a rustle behind followed with footsteps. He and Matthew turn around to see Rhet, fully awake from his rest. "Where's Daddy?"

Matthew instantly stands up and picks up Rhet. "Daddy is doing something Rhet, we will be your friends for now." They head back inside, seeing the other brother is also awake. Matthew puts Rhet down. "I and Boen are hungry." Matthew heads to the left corner of the house, filled with cloth bags of wheat, and flatbreads. Puss is astonished by Matthew's parental experience.

"I guess this is good to eat Rhet." Matthew hands him and Boen a corner of the flatbread.

"Matthew" Puss sits on a small wooden stool, placing his hat next to a pile of hay.

"Puss, I know how to handle kids. I had cousins and friends back. Sometimes, dad helps me with my needs and I learn to get them myself." Boen walks to Puss, confused. "What are you?"

He laughed, followed by Puss standing and grabbing his hat. "Well child, I am a cat, a wanderer, an adventurer! The one and only Puss in Boots!" He sheathes his sword. "I have but three rules! Always seek adventure, always help a lady, and always be nice to children."

Rhet is surprised by the weapon Puss wields. "Woah! Can I see that?"

Puss snapped at Rhet, smiling when children glance at him.

"Haha! Rhet, someday, you will be able to be just like me, a great hero."

A long blankness noise comes out of Rhet before he gets his word. "I know! My father already taught me the basics, but he tells me that I should use it when I need it." Confusion is all over Puss.

_The basics?_

Matthew shares the same expression, he inches close to Rhet, getting to know more of what he is defining. "What do you mean Rhet?"

Rhet continues to eat his small loaf of bread, munching it until his mouth goes empty. "Well, it is kind of destructive and dad says we shouldn't use it."

Matthew backs away to get some breathing as he and Puss try to comprehend what Rhet is speaking about. "Puss?"

Puss clears his face and presents a joyful one. "Clearly, the imagination of a child is boundless, this is really something." He happily walks to Rhet, determined to teach him some combat skills that he can share to make Rhet feel like living to it. At a moment, he reminisces his time training with the orphans, even at times, Dulcinea refuses to do such practice.

_The orphans have done it well, and have been better protectors of San Lorenzo because of me, perhaps I can get that feeling again and this time to the next kids._

"Rhet, I would gladly want to see your fathers training. I think you can learn much more from the most awesome protector of San Lorenzo, well former." He stands on a defensive stance, to absorb the potential child-friendly punch in the body. Rhet immediately hesitated. "Well, like me father said, we shouldn't use it too. . ." Puss comforts him. "Do not worry, this will be our secret. You might need it when your family gets in trouble or when I am not around."

Even of his hesitation for his father's consent, he had the utter of excitement to be able to regain the lessons his father taught him months before they had to hide it. Boen finishes eating his loaf of bread when he realizes what his older brother is doing. "Rhet? Are you going to use it again?"

"It'll be fine this time, I kind of miss doing this." He adds. "Plus, dad doesn't really do any fun things since we left." Rhet backs in a stance, but one Puss finds odd for a melee combat. Matthew, who's watching left corner to avoid getting hit shares the same oddity, but he is familiar with his stance. Without hesitation, he holds his hands out in front of him for the energy to flow, he took a breathe "Concentrate, control it, feel it." Rhet spoke before a ball of pure, concentrated energy forms in the palm of his hand. Swirling and spinning, yet it heeds a calming presence. Puss is astonished and flabbergasted by what he thought of the last thing he would see. Matthew had no words.

_He's a wizard. . ._

_How does he do it?_

Puss's instinct of avoiding danger never dies out as Rhet took the energy to form a tip of a spear, and with relative control, blazes the energy to Puss, who in time dodged right landing into a pile of bagged rice. The energy ripped a hole through the cloth doorway, revealing a perfect circle. Rhet collapses sitting from the revolt of energy needed for it to form, Matthew, rushes to him, still blank from his magical abilities.

"Rhet!" Puss follows, lending a hand to pick Rhet back up. "That was amazing Rhet!" Matthew cheered.

He staggered before speaking, "Thanks, but I don't think my father would approve that, it wasn't as much concentrated than what he can do."

"Wait, your father is a wizard?" Matthew questions with exhilaration. "Yes, he is," Puss asked Matthew to lend his ears for his thoughts. "For someone who can do magic, perhaps he could have used it to at least protect himself against those dastardly wolves, and to no reason, I feel like I want to hit them hard for what they have done to me." Puss trailed off-topic that confuses Matthew. "Sorry, perhaps I went too far."

Matthew gives his thoughts with the new knowledge. "Your father might be able to help me" He puts his hand on his chest, in an introducing way. "I, too am a wizard."

With a collection of the damped blue robe and a mix of jagged brown leather doesn't hint light to Rhet, of him being a wizard. "Well, you sure don't look like one."

"I am" he laughs "Just that its cold and I needed this to warm me." Rhet understands and clings back to his bed next to Boen, eagerly quiet for most of the time when his brother summons his magic. With the appearance of both Puss and Matthew, gives him some things to question. "By the way, what brings you two and the other cat, we've never had visitors for a while.

"He is very insightful," Puss notes while he steps up. Matthew agrees.

"We have come in search of my Maestro, who keeps ditching us even though we try to tell him we should come and help." Puss leans left and right as he contributes some points. "We offer to be his protector, but he does not want even if he is weak, which I will not say he is, but this is the reality."

After his statement, Rhet didn't catch most of what he said. Matthew stands the same as he sits behind the wooden table, amazed by what happened.

"So, you guys are here because some teacher of yours is here but does not want you here," He further confuses himself "and you guys are still here." Boen joins in "I got nothing."

"Hehe, kids" Puss quietly states to himself.

_They surely do remind me of the orphans._

The heat of the sun hits their faces behind the mountain horizon. With it, Julik and Dulcinea follow through the rocky road to find a reddish, wooden hut, surrounded by packs of wolves, some equipped with spears and crossbows. Julik tingles in the worst fears as he hides again behind Dulcinea. They both fearfully trail down the steep downhill steps to the hut. Some of the wolves traverse in the opposite direction leading to the small farm village for their daily tasks. They pass by the two without consent due to their passive order not to attack the villagers, simply thinking they are both like the villagers as the rest of them.

"You better not do anything stupid, y'all don't even allowed to be here." One of the wolves stood in their way. Dulcinea, not letting her fear control her, politely responded. "We would like to see your master, Oh good sir."

Initially surprised by the level of respect, yet the overwhelming feeling to laugh with her partner just jittering in constant fear of his presence, he eventually lets them pass. "Fine, if this is something that has to do with paying what you have to pay, then by all means."

"This is-uh getting creepy, and-uh also weird." Julik quietly says as they head closer to the house. In a sense, something has changed to them.

_Why are they this passive, they were relentless weeks before._

"I don't really see anything weird about it. In fact, I can't wait to tell Puss that even people beyond San Lorenzo still has a heart."

Dulcinea strolls her eyes around the house. Columns and walls that surround and decorates this small valley are everywhere. Gray but they lose their coloring due to the luster of the vines. Trees that amass through the backbone of the house, standing high. As they get lower, the rising sun seems to be blocked by the leaves from the trees. Droplets from the storm still reside and drip on top of Julik, slightly scaring him. Countless torches light up the walls of the ancient landscape. Adding on crate upon mountainous crates of boxes filled with grains of rice and wheat, topping it with other food and vegetables are packed and immediately sent out by carriages that are on the very left side of the house. Signs of digging and mining by the sounds of iron plummeting rocks can be heard inside. Bruce stomps outside, handling a weakened wolf with his left hand as he throws him out. "Oh" Dulcinea and Julik watch from behind a stack of wooden crates.

"Come back when you can actually impress me with their money!" Mark and Tye come out, already assuming their next job in an instant they see him like this. "They work for us, and I expect you to do the same. You are lucky you're not one of them!" Bruce continues to yell at the wolf.

"Hey! I'm sorry man, but them's all refusing to do so."

"So what Tim? Leech them! Albeit crack their miserable bones until they usher their contributions!" Mark immediately goes to Bruce to remind him.

"Bruce, remember what the boss said. We are to not hurt them."

Bruce slowly turns at Mark, he backs out. "Are you telling me what to do?"

He hesitantly replies. "Ohh, no no no no no. Your boss said that."

"Ha! He suddenly went soft? I don't get it! Why these weeks he has gone soft, the _Alakapines_ never does any of them politeness." He waddles his claw sharped paw. Bruce swerves it to the right, hitting topples of crates, making a vegetable-filled mess in the front porch of the house.

"Once we're done with this, I'll personally investigate what is going on. We always stack up and even make a competition on how many of their bones we can crack before they pay up. Now he has taken over and this is all wrong. We're here and digging for some toy treasure he's dying to have for himself. I should have taken the chance to rule, probably then we'd be in a better spot than this." Bruce walks back to the house. Tye and Mark help Tim back up, still shaken from the confrontation. Dulcinea's fear has risen. Through his brute strength, she starts to get second thoughts about confronting Bruce. Julik paid no attention and the sound alone made his teeth chatter.

"We're going to be okay Julik" She tries to calm him, it somewhat works.

"No way-uh Dulcinea, we're going to be dead."

Peeping from the left of the entrance, Dulcinea and Matthew glances on a huge cave that is covered inside the home. A dark void that runs deep inside the hollowed earth. Clanging and banging entirely fills the atmosphere inside. To the opposite side, stood Bruce, still hampering on his boss's passive decision.

"Good sir, perhaps you might get a forwarded order from the boss if you allow me" Mark tries to give his idea to Bruce.

"It doesn't matter anymore, all we do here now is just getting through this darn cave for his toy, what a complete utter nonsense. Coming from him as well."

Mark further signifies. "Well, if you haven't broken every one of the mailing carriages that come by, maybe we could've had a better or clear signification of his decision."

Bruce lands his paws on his table, leaning to it. The force of his land blew the direction of a candle nearby away from him. Dulcinea couldn't help or try to distract their conversation.

"What I feel is most useless is this search for this Puss in Boots. He suddenly wants him, marking up posters and whatnots. I mean every district in Kema is literally looking for this one cat, what is so important about this?!" He unrolls a wanted poster of Puss and puts it in front of Mark's face. Tye laughs inconveniently. Bruce's anger grows, "You're better off looking for the boss's toy." He grabs an iron pickaxe and throws it at him. The force of the throw shoved Tye straight down the cave. Dulcinea and Julik watch as he falls.

Mark gets back on his point after the locomotion. "Well, he needs him for some reason. Might as well give it to him." Bruce snaps back at Mark, already shaken by him. "That is what I am going to do. This time, I'm putting you on the spot to stroll around the nearest town, Silabad."

Dulcinea casually approaches the two conversating. Bruce and Mark turn around to see an armored cat standing behind the table.

"Who are you?"

"Hello" Dulcinea climbs on top of the table. "I am Dulcinea and behind there is Julik"

_Did you seriously have to tell them I'm here?!_

"Julik? The idiotic one who can't even pay in full?! He still owes us a lot. I'll even count on the confrontation with that _gato_."

"I'm just here to say if there's a chance you can lift that?" Dulcinea nervously asks. Bruce took a deep breath, laughing afterward.

"Sorry, sassy woman. For one, we claim the land and they work for us, no matter what they say or not. I'm surprised to hear someone has the guts to tell me out front. Who are you really? It has been a long time since I had someone like you come up." He itches closer to Dulcinea, she steps down, sitting on the ground.

"You know what happens to someone like you telling me what to do?!" Bruce casually backs up, making a gesture with his head to the right. "Their unmarked graves are over there, y'all are welcome to see it for yourself."

Dulcinea's fear hits the high point, but not enough to make her run. She calms herself.

"But look at them! They are hungry, poor, and can't keep up with your expectations. Surely you have enough food, even for your group alone." Bruce looks up, tired from everything that happened, and punches his table that the four legs break off entirely, Mark exits quickly out of the room and Dulcinea gets cornered behind the rocky walls.

"How much more do I need to tell you to understand. I don't take orders to a lowlife, trying to look like a mercenary cat like you!"

"You have to under. . . woah!"

Immediately, Dulcinea was grabbed like a ragdoll to Bruce, he has had enough of her talks and reasoning.

"I'm going to say it one more time. . ."

"Get"

"Out"

"Of . . ."

Just before he can complete his word, he suddenly stops and freezes. Dulcinea struggles to free herself from the hold. Bruce himself starts to gag as Julik reveals himself. Blue shines from his hands as the blue sphere summons around Bruce, he tries to breathe, but the cackle from his magical power holds too strong. All is the same to Julik, who doesn't want to see another friend hurt. He releases Dulcinea as he struggles, watching Julik in shock. But the hold was only temporary as he runs out. Bruce hits the ground and immediately gets back up.

"You!"

Bruce swipes Dulcinea left, hightails to and deliberately punches Julik. He tries to summon his magic again. Out of his sight, Bruce picks Julik up and throws him against the wall, the hit completely paralyzes him.

"I thought we killed every last one of you." Bruce slowly steps closer. Assuring himself to kill him.

Dulcinea wakes up, seeing Julik. Someone who saved her writhing in pain. She has never seen something this brutal, the hurt, the punches. She knows she has seen this before. Back in San Lorenzo, but this is worse.

It's more real and agonizing.

_No_

_No!_

_Stop that!_

"I will finish the job here and now, eliminate you here, your kind will never cease to exist." He prepares to claw Julik to death, as he takes his first swing. Dulcinea jumps and grabs Julik in time to save him. Bruce sees his claw marks in the stone of the earth. He turns around, seeing Dulcinea laying Julik down. She closes her eyes, starting to realize the viciousness of him. She loses the thought of innocence for a moment. She puts her head up to Bruce, looking at him eye to eye.

"You want to get him, you're going to have to go through me."

He laughs in excitement. The joy of action that he has never felt for a long time, with someone smaller and frailer than he is.

"Bring it on! I am going to enjoy this."

He charges headfirst to Dulcinea, dodging his frontal attack and runs to the sword rack and grabbing a sword. Bruce growls, Dulcinea jumps to his forehead and strikes him with the sword. Inflicting a visible swipe through his left cheek. He screeches in pain as he swipes his claws left and hits Dulcinea, unaware of that attack. Dulcinea quickly collects herself as she jumps a backward flip to avoid Bruce's powerful claws. She swerves around until she reaches his back and smashed again. Bruce knuckle punches but hits nothing, creating a cracked wall. He stumbles in awe as he scans for her. Dulcinea lands another severe blow below his feet. He struggles to overcome the ounce of pain. Dulcinea realizes the level of his ability to overcome hits and slashes. She grabs Julik and makes a run for the exit. Julik was still unresponsive to the severe blow as they make their escape. Other wolves see them pass by and wonders. They head inside to see Bruce, but never to see him injured.

"What are you all looking at?! Find them! Burn down the village if you have to!" Bruce fearlessly says. The wolves head to the exit, still not sure of their strategy to find the two.

Matthew and Puss had a joyful conversation until they see Dulcinea and Julik, who she was carrying. "Dulcinea!"

Puss and Matthew runs, and are surprised by Julik's injuries. "What happened?" Matthew quickly runs inside carrying Julik. Puss and Dulcinea follow.

"Rhet and Boen hear rustling outside as they see horror once Matthew enters, he puts Julik in his bed, still engraving injuries from the catastrophic blow. "Father?!" Rhet runs to his aid.

"I will be alright" He runs out of breath.

"Perhaps I should've done that a long time ago." Julik continued.

"This is all my fault." Dulcinea cries in guilt. Puss shares the overwhelming sensation as he hugs Dulcinea. "No, none of this is in your own doing."

"No Puss, you were right. What's wrong with me? Thinking people here could be nice."

"The outside world is scary Dulcinea, many of them, their minds cannot change, nor it will ever change." Puss calms her and gives the understanding of his history as a wanderer and adventurer.

"Sometimes even the nicest of you cannot overcome with the evilness of these monsters. I always assume the worst when it comes to." Dulcinea lays disorganized. "Then what's the point of trying to make people change if they are just like this? They never give it a chance. Look what happened!"

Puss thinks of a reply. It hurt to him when Dulcinea feels this way.

_What do I say?_

"Dulcinea, not everyone is like that. You made some people change. You are looking at one of them who you changed, who apparently, also lived in this world." Puss touches below her cheek as she opens her eyes.

_He's right._

Rhet emits a blue light as Julik calms down, carving a smiling face.

"He needs rest Puss." Matthew solemnly tells him.

"There's no time" Dulcinea enters. "I will never like how Bruce treated him. But his entire group of wolves here will come and find us. We need to get out of here." Puss agrees to the plan, Julik refuses to commence.

"No Dulcinea, This is now our home. I am willing to defend it."

"But you're hurt Julik."

"No I'm not Dulcinea, you've saved me. You don't understand now but I'll tell you both once we are done here."

"There will be nothing to fear Julik, for one thing, I as well want to stay and not because I look upon revenge for Bruce for that humiliating fight, but this town is theirs and I will make sure it stays defended. So swears Puss in Boots!" Puss proudly says as he, Matthew and Dulcinea rushes out. Dulcinea took one more look to Julik.

"Take care of your father, Rhet."

"I will."


	6. The Fall

_**Chapter 6: The Fall** _

Overlooking a patch of glittering grass fields and the view of the Great Ocean in the horizon is the town of Silabad. Where the cat and the human Bruce both wants is situated in. He makes his intentions clear to his group of the _Akalapines_. "Find an armored cat and a cloth ragged human there. I want them found, I want them begging for their miserable lives under my foot." Mark looks upon him. He has never seen this level of madness and his goals. He noticeably gets distracted from the deep red cut that runs through his lower cheek through the left side of his eye. Bruce notices what he is looking at and grabs Mark by the throat. The surrounding wolves jump in terror. "What are you looking at?!"

"Oh uh, nothing! My boss." Mark denies of what he sees, but he also can't deny to himself that it always gets his attention. Bruce drops him relentlessly. Hitting the dirt road. Bruce grabs his spear with the tip made of bones. "I will make something out of her as well as she did to me." He takes his eyes back to the village. "I will make them suffer."

Mark felt the need to remind his boss something. "W-w-well uh, Bruce. You do remember that boss wants none of this right?"

Bruce snaps back at Mark. "I don't care by what that lazy chunks of nothing want. Do I want to settle a score? I will stop at nothing to do it!"

He further continues as they prepare to charge to the village. "I underestimated them once. I will never let that happen again."

Under a small tent a few blocks away from the red hut, two wolves prepare themselves. Another day of work for them, mindless to know that their schedule is different. "Hey Alex, braddah, remember the Olympics? It like a month ago." It was relatively quiet on a time they would talk a lot.

"Lorr, are we still going to argue the fact that the last guy took the advantage of the lighting strike and somehow he made his way as first place. I'd tell you, he got pretty lucky."

Lorr opens a crate filled with foods from Silabad. Alex remained in his wooden bed, having the feeling of the carelessness of anything at all. "That never goes out of my head braddah. For one, three of them was shocked to death! You know what I mean braddah?" Lorr grabs a chunk of meat and heads back to his bed. "I even talked to one of the boys that died from the strike."

"Well, nature can be unpredictable. You wouldn't even think of seeing a lightning strike from a mile away." He lifts his paw up, symbolically showing him the unpredictable force of the weather. "Every time you see greyish clouds up, I always think that it is the calibrated force of energies that collides with. . ." Alex stops when he hears Lorr sarcastically snoring, showing his sign of boredom. Alex gives a blank stare as Lorr goes back up, continuing to eat his food.

"Not funny Lorr."

"Nah braddah, just that I'm not really into your research mumbo jumbo. You can always keep that to yourself."

Alex sits to further support his own doing. "Well, I would keep going if I ever had the chance Lorr. I didn't even want to be here. I was literally in the middle of inventing something new that will help with the usual stink of the flies that always buzz around our food?"

Lorr laughs at the inconvenience of Alex's role. "You know braddah, you might lead your way to even more people snoring and thems a saying blah blah blah to whatever you make." Alex scoffs of his predictions, he stands up to get his needs for his assigned duty. Lorr continues "Either one way your parents sees you like that man, or they be proud of their only son that maybe turn into warlord or something like that eh?"

"That's what I don't want" He ruffles his bow and a quiver. "At the same time though, I don't want them to feel bad because of me."

"Just saying braddah, But I think that choice has already been made hasn't it?"

Alex breathes a long sigh. Lorr lets himself out to get their daily assignment. Alex sits back down to give some thoughts on what Lorr said. As much as he wants to completely disagree with it, Lorr was right. His parents just don't like where he is bringing himself into.

_Who would want geeky smarty pants?_

_I guess no one._

Lorr returned to their tent, without their orders. It seemed weird to Alex, not until he explained why. "This is going to be fun, Alex."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it isn't what we always do" He lounges down on his bed, more submissive to share as he continued preparing, Alex thought at this point, he might as well prepare for the high seas.

"We're finally going to raid a village! Silabad."

"We're raiding? I thought were just the force people for their money kind?" Alex ruffles his tail. The soft wind with cold temperature strengthens as it traverses through the mountains in the background. "I don't think it's the usual raid boy."

Lorr grabs through his carryon. Plows of feet sprawling outside, in preparation for a battle. "What's the reason now? Sometimes, I'm starting to think just because they don't pay them

foods shouldn't—"

"Shh, Shh, Shh!" Lorr quickly shushes him with his one claw. "Your dead meat man if he hears you."

"Yeah, whatever." Alex shrugs off his hand.

"We're wolves braddah, I mean I've never heard you ever say that. For gosh sake man this is your first haul. We're not farmers, no man no." He leaves ahead without anything else to say, it leaves Alex speechless for a little moment, he joins Lorr afterward.

* * *

"People of San Loren—"

"Silabad!" Dulcinea quickly corrects Puss.

"Oh yeah, I kind of got used to it for a little while now."

The group stands upon many traders, wanderers, and farmers in the center of Silabad. The morning commute continues without a sense of danger. The blows from the south wind continue soaring through the town. Ruffles of blown out wheat and the crumbles from falling leaves fill the void.

"People of Silabad!" Puss stands in a rectangular marble coinciding with the small fountain in the middle. The townspeople look upon the source of the voice, seeing a strange cat wearing a hat and boots. "I know we have never met or even know me, but I am here to say that this town and everyone is in great danger!"

"Great Boulf!" One of the tender selling straw hats yelled out, ragged blue clothing and torn slippers as he walks out closer.

"Everything here is just nothing but bad news, and you say that?! You should scram you little weird talking kitty." The population certainly agreed with the man, with their pay already being taken from them, what would a danger to them be? The townspeople returned to their business, Dulcinea growing weary of possible destruction.

"Puss, there has to be a way to let them know they're in danger." Puss angled his hat, "Perhaps a clever ruse can trick them into being under attack.

Matthew, who was leaning on the vertical beam next to the crates both Puss and Dulcinea is standing on, gets an idea. "Hey, why don't we try a stampede?"

His obnoxious idea startled both, "A stampede?"

"Well, there was a giant herd of rams from the top of the side of that mountain plateau" He points to a flock of Mustrow trees to the greenish side of the mountain. Puss gets blinded from the setting sun partially hiding behind the mountaintop. "We get them to plow through this town, they will start to run for their lives."

"Your idea really intrigues me, Matthew." Puss gives his thoughts. Both he and Dulcinea jumps down. "But doesn't that sound a little dangerous?" Dulcinea added, "Remember what happened last time we met some rams?"

Puss loses his stance of thought, immediately reacting from what Dulcinea said. "That was a different thing, Dulcinea, to be fair those rams were thought very bad lessons from a very terrible teacher."

"What? Mary?" She walked a few distances "Yeah, she wasn't a great teacher, but I'm sure she and her ram are doing well now with their new school."

"Not to worry Silabad! For your hero, Puss in Boots will climb through the thick, mushy forest and save you all by uh," Puss looks to Matthew, in a confusing manner "causing a heap of destruction?"

"Look!" Dulcinea disturbs his heroic grandeur. "How will we get them to safety?! We're not going to literally hurt them, are we?"

Puss laughs deafeningly. "Silly Dulcinea, no we are not going to hurt them." Matthew took one scene of the harbor and bears an idea. "Puss, did you remember where we left the ship, we sort of stole from the pirates?"

"Ahh, I see where you are going with this Matthew," Puss elegantly says, "Use the ship for these very poor people to get off on."

Dulcinea catches up from behind, making their way to where Matthew last saw the rams. The foggy tense that slowly fills through deeper and deeper their walk go.

"I have a very bad feeling about this, and it is not the _leche_." Puss stays alert on the way.

"Do we all know what to do?" The briefing they had before this was thirty minutes ago, with Matthew leading the plan that they with Rhet and Julik. Matthew gets the urges and thoughts of his plan of fake destruction to go well. "I would have gone with a better plan, but this one can intrigue me if it goes well, Matthew," Puss replied.

Through the left of highland is the sign pointing to Silabad adjoining a small slanted slope side of a rocky cliff, each one works to keep the upper canopy of trees and small bushes from falling and the roads not to be bombarded by them. Through the hayward of all trees and bushes, an opening that isn't too noticeable, but a green land that is over the other side.

_Crunch_

_Crunch_

"Ow!" Dulcinea quickly reacted from the misshaped, loose rock that she stepped. Just on the brink of falling, Puss grabbed her hands and she took one step to a more balanced rock. "Thanks, Puss"

"You have to be careful Dulcinea," Puss says as he helps her climb up one more boulder. "We're here."

Matthew places one more step to see another column of ridges that interconnects with the rocky slope on the side of the mountain. A riveting number of rams by the hundreds lay idle, with some finishing their nighttime meals.

_Bahh_

_Bahh_

Constant sounds that echo through the mountainous terrain, with the addition to clumps of horns from their constant bashing within one another. Puss, Dulcinea and Matthew hid behind a bush next to a large boulder, overseeing the herd. One of the rams bears a sharper, more curved horns, trickled with many distinct furs, with his four hooves pure black.

Matthew hinted at the ram, "That is probably the leader of the herd."

Puss ratted out suddenly, showing himself in front of the herd. "Perhaps I can speak up to the herd. After all, I know how to handle these rams," The supposed leader of the ram feels the senses of Puss, he edges closer to it. Feeling threatened, he bellowed a loud sound that enough created an echo that dissipates longer than the rest. Other rams turn an eye to Puss. Matthew and Dulcinea still creeping up from the bush behind. Puss knew this seemed off and out of character for them.

"These are pretty wild rams, perhaps they have never seen a talking cat before," Puss said to himself as they rub their left front hooves against the dirt, ominous to headbutting Puss and his group behind him together.

"Puss, now what?!"

"Run!" Puss yelled to the top of his voice. They started running without knowing the cliffy terrain and a deep way down. Puss climbed one of the trees with swift and accuracy. Catching Dulcinea and Matthew as they helped hop their way up. Just as they do, the tree started to shake violently. The lack of sustainability of the roots is causing it to sway. The rams constantly headbutt the tree, each one hitting it to get them. The lead ram readies his horns, and with breakneck speed, slams into the tree hard enough that the tree fell adjacent to the sloped hill. Before hitting the solid floor as it fell, Puss stabs the tree once with his sword and uses it as a slingshot to shoot himself, Dulcinea and Matthew to the other side of the tree just as it fell completely down, Puss regains his sword but long enough that they speed their way down the hillside. The rams follow behind as fast as the tree log slides, still determined to continue their headbutting rampage. They ride the fallen tree like a ski, dodging left first to avoid a rock, followed by other trees and obstacles,

"Now this is nifty!" Puss yells with joy. His hat completely disappears from his head to the fast-flowing wind, only able to catch it by Dulcinea. They see the flat ground up ahead, starting to show a head on collision. "Jump!"

All three jump just as the fallen tree broke into a thousand pieces,

"That was fun!" Dulcinea happily says to the two, Matthew and Puss shares the same thought, but the excitement dies down quickly as the mountain rams climb down to resume the fight. "Well the plan is working much better than I thought, but what do we do now?!" Matthew shares his insight into worries. "I never thought of planning this part, I thought Puss would be the bait!"

"How dare you were going to make me a bait!" Puss releases a little of his anger, albeit the ram's lands down in level with them. Others join in, grouping to more than twenty-five against the three. Puss thought of something that he has done and gave the thought of the possibility of it working here. "I have something in mind, you two should go."

Matthew and Dulcinea took no train of choices to think through and ran. To Puss, it made him believe that they trust what he's going to do. He plants his feet for a stable stance, Looking at the lead ram to the eye. "You want to dance you old goat?" A change in his posture to a Spanish standstill confuses the ram, but nevertheless, he repeats his process of a headbutt preparation. This time, Puss is ready.

"Let us dance!"

As the usual start, the ram runs straight to Puss, which in a flamenco style dance, spun to the right and tapped his boots to run a metronome of his dance and beat. He claps along with his dancing, almost like a bull fighting game that he has been through his adventures. The ram prepares for another run through, as he runs in a forward motion, Puss dodges one last time, just to see in a fraction of a second, other rams joining in the charge. Puss grabbed one of the rams horns to lift himself, avoiding a direct hit and angled his fall to land on top of the lead ram, the group started running after the heat of all the rams that joined from the initial run that created a stampede that created visible dust clouds, through how the path to the village was wide due to trading. Puss used the lead ram to lead the stampede to run to the village. "Aha! Puss one, old goat zero!"

With the stampede quickly approaching the village, on their return, Matthew and Dulcinea sprang the plan into action. The clouds of dirt grow increasingly bigger and bigger to the west. They both run to Julik's home.

"It's time!" Matthew says to the three. Julio to his grave injuries slowly stood up with the help of his two sons Rhet, and Boen. The ground crumpled as strong as an earthquake, giving the sign that Puss's stampede heads dangerously close. The other villagers share the equal feeling as they start to get the tense of horror not knowing of this catastrophe. Matthew and Dulcinea head out as fast as they can to warn the villagers, this time with straight evidence.

"People!" Matthew screamed to the tip of his throat,

"Come with us if you want to live!"

Without knowing the reason for the sudden earthquake, the people of Silabad ran out of control on where they are going, fully giving the rise of panic to everyone. Screams with the addition of cries and walls plow through the town.

"Oh no we are so dead!"

"What's going on!"

"What's happening!"

"This way everyone!" Dulcinea shouted as she stood on top of their pirate ship. Only some of them has heard her, they rushed through the plank of the ship, that with such amount of the people coming on, broke unexpectedly.

"Oh my Gosh!"

One of the people, a young girl on her toddler age fell. Just as Matthew was able to grab her ponytail hair that caused a substantial amount of pain to the gravity of the fall. He struggles to fight her weight to fall in the deep harbor. He started skidding through the slippery and smooth floor of the ship. With the number of people in the ship panicking without the sense of it happening, Dulcinea waddled through the crowd to see Matthew trying to save the little girl.

"Hold on down there!"

Other villagers help them pull her up. Through her fears of the deep water, she gave Matthew a big hug to his surprise, then she returned to her mother.

The other villagers start rampaging to the only ship in the dock due to the nighttime approaching, Puss starts to verge the stampede into another direction as his part of his task is complete, at least to him. He starts to jump off through the herd, jumping quickly from head to head until he reaches the other end of the stampede, landing very roughly through the dirt.

"Woah!"

He stands back up, without his knowledge that Bruce and his army of wolves standing right in front of him, their sheer numbers shocked him to the end of his tail. A sprawling network of weapons with torches that lights up almost the entire road alone that shines brighter as the dust storm clears from the stampede. Yet they see him differently. Lorr and Alex, who struts behind, stops rather confused.

"What the hell is going on up there?" Lorr questions the sudden pause of the march

"Beats me, man," Alex responded.

"Still what's the point of gaining through the village that literally hasn't done us harm?"

"No questions braddah, just follow them. This is gonna be fun. I'm sure of it"

"I wonder what you said at the beginning of this conversation Lorr?"

The wolves look in awe, one of the most wanted cat. Right in front of them. Bruce beheld happily. "Well well well, Puss in Boots."

"Uh. . . hello?" He adds a cringe of laughter. Thunder roars in the distance, as another storm approaches.

"By the looks of it, you seem to be taking care of your sheepy herd right in front of me. What a lucky coincidence."

Puss notices his long scar that runs through his cheek, he has never seen it before the last time they met.

_Did Dulcinea do that?_

"Well uh, you see. There is always a doppelganger, you know? Someone else can look exactly like him."

"Really? Another cat who is striped orange, wearing a hat, a belt, and boots?"

Puss is short of any more innovative answers and trickeries. "Uhh, yeah?"

"Really?" He laughs, a laugh that lacks the integrity of an actual laugh, more like a funny tone to Puss. "Are you taking me as some kind of fool?"

Nothing comes out of his mouth, other than a long stare at him.

"Well look who's the fool!"

Puss took a run for it, full pledge of fear that runs through his body, facing an army of almost a hundred against him. Bruce takes any mission to a personal level. With the knowledge that Puss is in Silabad, he gives his order.

"Alakapines! Get that cat and burn the village if you have to!"

The sky turns dark as he makes his way to Silabad, he hopes to see everyone left to the ship. He still sees more trying to get on.

"Dulcinea! Matthew!"

Dulcinea lifts her ears through her name and she runs to the stern of the ship. She sees Puss below the docks. Matthew came behind.

"We need to go now!"

The people further rush to the ship. The water of the Great Blue Sea roughens, with the storm ultimately closing in. Puss starts to notice the deep fires of arrows being shot all over the town, A sea of smoke and fire starts burning down the once thriving Silabad. As the last people boards the ship, Matthew sets the sail, the high winds plow through the sail and onwards to the Great Blue Sea. Many looked back at their beloved town all set into ruins. It hurts more to Puss, that these people had to leave their home because of them, yet they don't know the truth.

_What have I done?_

One of the wolves returns to Bruce, overlooking at the destruction that he would think is just an obstacle to take to get what he wants, whenever he wants. He seemed awfully nervous of giving the news to Bruce, not seeing what he can do if he does.

"Bruce, no one is at the town"

"NO! Keep looking, they are here somewhere, and don't stop until you find their carcasses under my own eyes."

The storm grew darker as time goes on.


	7. The Escape

_**Chapter 7: The Escape** _

"Left!" Dulcinea screeches out, everyone under cover and holding on to their life through the raging storm and rough waves that slap the wooden ship as if it was a toy. Lightning flashes the darkened sky that sends shivers to Puss, savagely turning the wheel as Dulcinea gives the directions to avoid an island collision. The cries and screams of Silabad's villagers only go through Puss's ear. Matthew stands by next to the stairs to further help Puss. "Dulcinea said left!"

Puss struggles to turn the ship, the wheel creaks as he spins it right. The ship barely responds through the turn and the ship plows through the side of the island's rocks.

"Look out!" Puss shouts as soon as the quake from the impact slightly damaged the ship. As it hits, Matthew loses balance and falls down the stairs. Puss holds on to his hat as the wheel spins on its own through the powerful force of the water and the foggy view from the rain and wind takes small control of the ship, helpless to maintain it. A flash of light gives a glimpse of the island rocks, the waves forced the ship through another hit. Dulcinea saw the rocks and jumps down to cover as another hit crumples the sail, falling forward to where Matthew's head, trying to get back up. Puss sees this and quickly pushes him out of the way.

"Matthew!"

Puss kicks him hard enough that the recoil pushes him as well. Matthew felt the kick and through the hard force, tries to grab a wooden hole. Half his body hanging out, close to falling in the deadly water.

The sail falls hard, parts of the left sail penetrated through the wooden deck all the way down below. The ship tilts to the left as the water push back.

"Puss?! Dulcinea?!" Matthew shouts, in the small grip to falling. Dulcinea hears his faint cry, jumping through the dizziness of the ship's movement and the sail, she grabs his hand and pushes back up to get his feet in the deck. They hurried to the lower deck where the rest of the villagers watches the powerful force of Mother Nature. Dulcinea hears a small conversation behind the lower kitchen, where a woman with her child hugging through the fear. The imbalance of the deck rowing left and right. "Are we going to be okay?"

"Don't you worry, we'll be fine" The mother replies. The sweet sound of her voice separates through the roaring storm.

_He doesn't need to go through this,_

_I'm sorry._

"Felina! Why have you forsaken us?!" Puss screeches as he holds on to dear life. The constant sway of the forcible sea plays around with their ship like a ragdoll. Every bit of wood cracks through surfaces of boulders the ship scratches through.

"Puss is still out there Dulcinea!"

She dashes through the heaps of villagers and just as she reaches the cabin door leading outside the lower deck, a rough vibration of the floor following loud crashes of wood that through the window plunges in front of the door. Dulcinea forces herself to the door while pieces of the ship collapse, her full strength only resulted in a nudge. The people were trapped.

"Puss!"

Dulcinea kept pushing the blocked door, panting. Fearing of Puss's survival in the deadly weather. She felt an immense presence behind her. Extending his hands, Matthew pushes the door with great intensity. With a great purpose to save his friend, and her loved one.

Then in a snap, everything turned black.

* * *

"Woah" Alex gasped, with a face full of shock, he expanded his view. Presented in front of him is the burning remains of Silabad. A town once prospered with life, the lands of yellow now black. His vision of the village is limited by the dark clouds of smoke. The ashes of people's homes, their future, all up in smoke. Alex takes a deep breath, learning the reality of his faction and their doing. The opportunity he took, only to slap him in the face.

Lorr caught up with Alex after collecting all his things that fell off his ripped leather bag. He is just as surprised as Alex, as soon as the storm disappears.

"You still want to be a part of this?" Alex asks. There was a lack of nervousness in his voice. He was stable to his stance of being part of the _Alakapines_.

"Braddah, you make it sound like I forced you in." Lorr lowers the tension with Alex's question. He flicks back to the ravaging scene. "Wel,l this place speaks for itself."

"You two!" A commanding voice disturbs their moment, "You guys enjoying the view or what?!"

Both Lorr and Alex look behind to see their captain. His tone speaks suspicion of their talk.

"Ranji, _Aklaha!_ We weren't enjoying—" He marches through them, tugging their shoulders as he sees the smoking town after them. His grayish fur falls time and time, the old veteran took only one look of the town.

Just one look.

"Shut it youngling" He turns around, eager to tell them something, "You see this?" He throws his hand out like he's presenting the town to them.

"Y-yes, Ranji" Alex struggled to respond to his commander-in-chief, feeling his suspicions of their thoughts about their recent attack.

"Starting to have second thoughts?"

Lorr attempts to lighten the conversation, straddling playfully. "We're very sorry _mi'ya_ boss Ranji," He pushes Alex towards the wooden gate, the upper sign of the gate reads 'Welcome to Silabad'. Alex watches it as it starts catching fire at the 'W'.

"Hmm" Ranji still isn't convinced about their demeanor.

"Take out the hut, search it!"

"You three, take the south plains!"

Alex and Lorr scour through the smoking land, grains of wheat and wood flutters and float around them. The left part of the hut to their right crashes down amid the burning fire weakening it. Hundreds of their own kind scavenging what's left and searching all around. Most of their officers carry around the wanted poster of Puss in Boots and El Guante.

_Why do they want these cats?_

_They'd go this far just to get them?_

Lorr, weirded by the sudden silence of Alex, shares his thoughts. "Alex, braddah, who is this cat that this Bruce pal want? What makes this guy so special?"

Alex responds with a blank stare, creeping him out. "Yo Alex, you okay or what?"

He was hesitant to reply "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"So, what's bothering ya then?"

Alex felt offended by his thoughts. "What's bothering me?!" He steps forward in the fields to one of the destroyed homes, atop a hill that is surrounded by grains.

"This, dude!"

He shoots his arms out. Lorr can see to this behavior that this really impacts him. He worries about him and how he will be seen to others.

"B-braddah calm down man," He said while making a hand gesture to lower his voice, "I get it, I get it."

He runs up to him, whispering "Can't you tell in your mind what would happen when you start shouting that!" He knocked on top of Alex's head. "It's cool ya donkeyhead that you see it like so" Lorr turns back around, "But you know braddah since back then we was pups, I didn't see this would be the reality eh?"

Alex knows it, he knows that's true. The dream.

Lorr continued "Ever since seeing something like this when we left Rinagar, you know this is where we would belong. Even your parents thought so."

"Guess how that ended, Lorr" He starts doubting upon the goals of this clan he joined. "Oh yeah, sorry for bringing them. You know what I's say though?"

"I could've known this group was made to protect others." Alex picks up his leather bag, urging to leave.

"Guess it's the other way around."

Stomping through a red tent is Bruce, still aggravated by the recent events that led up by his misshapen injury. Through all the wolves, it lowers his reputation. Every step he takes to cause a small quiver, fear is what goes to everyone's mind when he enters. "So.." He strolls around his wolves in the highest rank.

"Nothing at all, Nothing?!"

Mark staggers forward, "Look Bruce, we found someone next to the fountain."

A wolf drags in a villager from Silabad. He throws him in front of Bruce. A human with black tones in his fingernails gives the appearance of a blacksmith. His shivering only annoys Bruce. He slowly zooms on his face. The human can feel his breathing as he covers his face with his hands.

"You have nothing to do puny human." His deep voice trembles through his skin. "You have no one to help you."

Lorr peeked through a pop hole through the weaved blanket covering the main room.

"So, I say, you know these cats?" He gives out two wanted posters.

Taking a deep breath through the nightmare he sees in front of him, the blacksmith agrees.

"You're going to tell us where they are," Bruce steps to his table, "Else, I will make you regret it."

Mark realizes something off. "Bruce, aren't you taking it a little too far just to—"

"Unless you have something about where these are," He slaps the posters in his table, pieces of the wood showers from the force. "You are to not question my ways, whatsoever."

Mark steps back.

"Yes, yes boss"

"No one stops until we find them." He stabs Puss's poster, the sword going through the table.

* * *

Alex sharpens his dagger when Lorr returned. Setting up tents as Silabad to be their temporary homes. The bright glow from the candle slightly blinded Alex.

"Braddah, they found a human, and they're going to question him." He sits down eating the meat he brought with him.

Alex shoves his dagger back in his pouch, "Really?"

"Yeah, the rest haven't found anything else. That boy seems to be their only way to this Puss and Blaco."

"Blanco, Lorr" Alex corrects him.

"Alright, alright but I bet you we might not—" A sudden crash of crates alerted them, followed by shots of arrows whistling through the air, they run outside to see a small dark figure, hat, and cigar. Armed with a small crossbow with purple filled arrows. Just as both Alex and Lorr come out with torches, the dark figure fired at them, they bounce left behind crates, arrows shoot through them. The whistling of the arrows passes through their ears.

Lorr can hear the blacksmith talking to the figure as he unlocks his keys, the yells of their other wolves' echoes through to warn the invasion.

"Fair is fair _mi amigo_. . ."

"Thank you, so much old friend."

"Quickly! we must run for the exit while we still can."

The quick stomps of their feet and a dark voice stops them. Alex and Lorr rush out of their spots to see Bruce and his wolves, blocking the exit.

"Well mate, what a nice happy reunion am I right?"

The figure, who is a grey cat, wearing leather waistcoats, with a quiver carrying special purple arrows that he used to shoot them. Lacked a sense of fear of seeing Bruce. "Heh heh, you make me laugh. You have never changed, haven't you?"

"You think you can pass through this?" Alex and Lorr slowly back away.

"I snuck in, you think I can't get out? It only has been five years and you forget?" He starts to laugh. It starts to get into Bruce's nerves.

"Today is not a good time to see me, and I'll make sure you regret it."

"I'd like to see you try, old _camarade_."

He throws a wooden barrel straight at the cat, he runs away along with the blacksmith.

"I'm not going to lose again! Get them!"

Both the cat and blacksmith run through the tents the Alakapines setup bounces through all the barrels and running through the wooden bridge that overlooks through Silabad. Wolves climb up to them, the cat jumps on their heads, bouncing wolf after wolf. He and the blacksmith run through the wooden wall side of Silabad, he takes a clip from his quiver and cocks the hammer of his crossbow, went straight to shooting the wolves. Three wolves fell asleep after getting shot. One was shot while jumping and knocks three others in their way.

Alex sees an opening to the exit; the other wolves and the two runners start coming in. Alex grabs Lorr in the shoulder. "Lorr, this is our chance! We can get away from this!"

Lorr quickly replies, "But uh, are you sure we should—"

"Let's go, now!"

"Woah!"

The cat and the blacksmith run through the town gate. The cat throws a smoke bomb, stopping the chasers from getting them. Bruce follows through the crowds. Growling violently! "They're gone! Again!"

Alex and Lorr start running through the misty woods, the light coming from Silabad dims slowly as they run deeper and deeper. "You know what you're doing Alex?"

As they ran through the woods and follow the road that leads them back to the valley, volleys of arrows blow over them, the cat appeared from the bushes and attacks them.

"Woah, Woah, Woah Wait!"

The cat rushes in with a sharp-edged dagger, taking a swing to Alex. He takes his dagger out and clings at the same time, creating a spark. The cat made a forceful kick in Alex's chest, knocking him and Lorr out near a tree, it shook violently.

"Speak then! You followed us haven't you!"

"Well, yes my good man but we only tried to escape." The dagger of the cat nears Lorr's throat. Just as his, Alex's dagger is pointed to the cat's chest.

Alex breathlessly spoke, "We—we come in peace! We only wanted to run from that place."

The cat couldn't believe their words. "Really?"

Alex drops his dagger, as a sign of surrender. "We mean no harm. We are not like them."

"Well, it's more like he," Lorr added.

The cat repointed his dagger back at his throat.

"Then what are you?"

Lorr suddenly was startled "I mean, I mean he had the idea, just that we took the opportunity."

"Right?" He lowers his dagger, but not his guard. "Then leave, if you know what's good for you."

"Wait! Do you know somewhere we can go and hide?" Alex stood up, the cat never turns back at them, but he stopped, "You guys are a part of them, if my people see you, they will not hesitate to hurt you."

Alex took the badge planted in his pouch, he feels regret of betraying his family's wishes. The dagger he wields is what's left of his father. Since the attack of his home. He has always seen the _Alakapines_ as a hero. But he understands that people can change, especially to the worst. He rips off the badge and throws it, Lorr does the same.

"Hmm, very well. We must hurry, they will come to find us again."


	8. Lost

_**Chapter 8: Lost** _

Puss struggles to keep him from falling. He fights through the pain from the tightening grip and the sensation of burning from the friction. Everything was blurry and distorted. Nothing was clear. The empty void of space. The world was grey.

Someone creeps up behind him, shouting.

"Are you going to do it?" The voice was tough and commanding. Puss can feel his heart as if it's trying to rip itself out of him. The weight grows in every second he tries to hold on. He can feel his grip loosening.

"What will it be? Save him? Or lose your only chance to stop the inevitable."

_I'm sorry._

He shocks himself back to reality. It was just a nightmare. He didn't take long to realize where he really is, or his hat.

_Where am I?_

The torrenting rain only worsens his vision as he scans around. The storm on top him with the waves pushing his wooden raft. Puss only had a short time to notice the horizon start turning vertical, he loses his balance and falls on the water. He gasps for air for only a moment until the wave crashes upon him. His raft sinks as he feels the impact slam of the water. He swings his paws and feet to reach the rough surface. The salt water stings his eyes from the force of the water, like getting stung by a bee. He can feel the force of the water below start to strengthen. Barely getting through the surface with his life.

"Ahhhgh"

Puss felt an unexpected but painful punch in his right leg. He grabs his leg in retaliation to subdue the ache, resulting in him sinking and the sensation to catch more air. He starts painting a picture in his mind. Catching everything that led him to this, a realization flashes as if it smashed him in the face.

"Where is Dulcinea?" Puss thought, "Matthew, Julik—"

It was only a moment; he loses his conscience.

* * *

Puss feels water dripping in his face. He is bound to his hands, his boots and sword gone. Puss made a few blinks, looking around to a jail cell. Bars of cold metal with another cell adjacent to his. He notices that he isn't alone.

"Hey! You're finally awake!" Puss glances at an old man. Wearing an old tattered leather long shirt, bruises on his legs and arms. A straight scar runs on his left cheek that ends below his neck that looked like a sword has done the damage. The man was chained to his hands to the bright brown wall. He made an indecent smile, acted like they've been friends for years and they reunited.

 _What is this place, where are we?!_ A million questions run through his mind. The cold aftershocks still stumble on his body. He only moved a few inches to catch the pain in his right leg still strong. He clenches his teeth as a reaction. The man flicked back at him, seeing the pain in his face.

"Are you alright?" He said. "You look like someone just stepped on your tail." Puss peers back at him. His vision is still blurry but only from the tears of the pain. He coughed. "I am alright. Where are we though?"

The man lifts his eyebrow, surprised. "What do you mean? You don't know where we are?" He expects Puss to at least know the place. Puss switches his attention back at his cell. The ground isn't all flat. Such as the marble-like material that he was on. It isn't permanently implanted on the ground.

"I thought you'd know. What else would you be here for?" The response blows Puss, "What else would you be here. You're probably close to entering the arena," The man looks up, delivering more options, "or punishment to whatever you've done."

"Punishment?!" Puss replies, "I have not done anything besides stealing some of the leche's back at Silabad and stealing a pirate ship which I am sure is something legal in the pirate rules."

"You've just listed reasons for you being here." The man points out.

"What I am saying is that I was on the water the last time I remembered. Later nothing, then I ended up here." Puss recollects the dream he had during his unconsciousness. _What was that? Who was dangling, and who was speaking? What did he mean by stopping the 'inevitable'?_

"And I, Victor, is here because I drank in the clean fountain of water," Victor added. It confuses Puss of Victor's crime. "Wait, What?"

"At least here, I get free water before my execution, or is it arena? Punishment? Ehh" Victor raised his shoulders, showing the lack of care of his fate, "I'm not sure at this point. Everything happens in the arena."

Puss stops Victor. "Wait, we are in an arena?"

"Yep, the Empress's arena. Everything happens here. I think I mean literally everything. For you to be here. You must've done something more than just stealing. Probably murder." Victor explains. Afterward, footsteps approach and a guard with a spear and wearing a red shoulder pads and steel armor stop to their cell. He hits the metal bars with his weapon.

"Victor, shut up!" The guard yells. "No one has the time for your stupid stories."

Puss quickly glances at the guard. He responded "Hey! No one talks to my friend like that!" He tries to stand up but feels immediately from the pain still in his leg, the guard lithely laughs. Victor said to Puss,  
"We're friends?" Puss turns to him and nods.

"How can you intimidate me when you can't even stand up for yourself." The guard questions with hilarity. He marches away still laughing, yelling at another prisoner later.

"No one dares laugh at the presence of Puss in Boots!" he muttered to himself. Victor glances at him with realization. "Oooh! So that's why you're here."

Puss didn't take much to glance at him as he whispered the reason. "You're wanted."

* * *

The cracks from the ceiling of his cell shoot a laser from the sunlight. Small specks of dust float around it as Puss awakens. Later hearing from many loud noises that intensified more from the entrance. Two guards, similar clothing shows up. Victor lifts his head from the cracking sounds of the lock releasing. "Oooh! Is it me now?"

"No!" Rumbled one of the guards. "It's him the Empress wants."

_An empress? I have my ways with women. Perhaps this is a good thing._

"Get up!" The strong pull from the guard forces him to stand up, the pain from the leg was less sore than before, yet he staggers as he was dragged out from the cell and led outside. The light blinded him; it took some time for his eyes to adjust from the sun's immense power. The red roof of the arena cast a shadow that spreads throughout the encirclement of the marble infrastructure. Many of the red guards scavenge the arena with many of them in the middle and all over. It seemed that it was the first practice to become one and grow the army. Target practices and learning the use of the spear on the left, while blacksmiths repair them on the right. Most of them stared at Puss. It felt more different from when he was looked at as being a hero. This time he was a prisoner. The doorway out of the arena only led to another building of wooden and steel created. This time there was a mix of guards and citizens living through the other houses that follows the brick road. More guards join the group that was leading Puss to the Empress. More and more of them stare at him. It starts to feel uncomfortable for him. Nothing else still permanently entered his mind as the thoughts of everyone else onboard the ship remained. He turns his glimpse forward. Thinking, worrying.

_I hope they are okay; I will get out of this mess. Sooner or later. This, I swear!_


	9. Back in Town

**_Chapter 9: Back in Town_ **

“Ugh, that hurts.”

_What happened?_

Matthew places his hands on his head. Unsure of what’s around him. A ceiling made of red tarp, and he glances right to see an elongated hallway with Dulcinea lying in another leather bed next to him, with more beds aligned in a row with other injured people. He lifts his hand, looking at them, scanning for any cuts, seeing one that zigzagged in his index finger. That is the imprint left when he notices the bandage. Sitting up felt like a crunch as if he stayed lying for decades.

 _Where are we?_ He thought as he searches around. More beds, Julik lying on his side, looking away from him. After he is his two sons Boen and Rhet. They seem to be fine. Until he realizes Rhet had a fully wrapped bandage on the top of his head. Still feeling the pain from his back, he slowly stands.

 _Arrgh! What happened to me!_ The pain is almost unbearable, forcing him to sit back down groaning. He remembers being on the ship, inside. Trying to push the door to get out, but why?

He had his thought on someone, who isn’t in any of the beds.

“Puss” he whispers. He wants to get up, NOW! See where he is, why were they there, and who rescued them. He fights the pain again, gaining more strength to stand up. He held his breath to avoid waking the people resting. He places his left hand on his bed to help push and he did it. Takes his first step and the pain forces him to limp. His blue tied shoes now a wreck, he swipes off the cover of the red tarp. A strong glow from the two torches planted in each side blinded his view. Then he sees a crashed ship in the distance. It sticks out from the flat sandy beach, with a straight, high, tree-filled cliff in the background. The luminescent light from the moon helped and better see his surroundings. Stars glittered the sky, with a cool feeling that spurs out from the atmosphere, though there is no wind. It is quite peaceful. But in his mind, a clash of confusion. He staggers out to the broken ship. It still stood up, like it tried to float along with the sandy land. His pants grow louder with every step he took to get there.

_Puss, where are you!_

Matthew reaches the ship, bland color of brown and black from the rot. A part of the front side of the ship was gone. A gaping hole remained there, as tall as he is. He thought how this ship was able to stay afloat with that big hole in the ocean. He sees a roped, wooden ladder when he turned right. It seems to lead at the deck. Matthew took his feet to climb, still trying to ignore the intense pain and the feeling of his scar on his right feet as if it is opening itself. The rush of the small waves from the ocean made it feel like the ship started to float again. Reaching the top, a scene of a horrible mess. The pieces of the sail still spread throughout the deck, like someone picked up the sail and slammed it to a thousand pieces. His every footstep made a creaking sound, keeping in mind the chances of the wood giving up and he would fall anytime. Something catches his eye near the front side of the lower deck. It was hard to notice through the splinters of the decaying wood, but his eye didn’t trick him. As well as his only worry.

Picking it up is Puss’s hat, still damped. The yellow feather bent.

* * *

Matthew raced back to the small hut, located a little higher, top of a hillside from the beach. Puss’s hat in his hand, he stumbles and falls on the way up to the tent. His scratches and bruises burned, like its being stepped on all at once. He lifts himself back, crawling in all fours until grabbing the torch pole and using it to get himself back up. He can feel the intense heat and angled the torch for it not to burn the tarp. He pushes the tarp to glance inside, seeing Dulcinea back up and turning on him. Her hand on the back of her head. She stands swiftly to lend a hand to Matthew. Wrapping his hands around his waist. Dulcinea almost pictured him as if he was Atrephius. The resemblance of his hunchback stance, with his blue ripped robe. Matthew does look like him.

“Matthew,” Dulcinea whispers from her breath, “Where did you go?” She grabs his hands to lead him to his bed.

Matthew took a quick breath. “The ship—it's nearby. Do you know where we are?”

Dulcinea helps him balance Matthew as he lands back down on his bed still panting. Dulcinea glances around, seeing the other familiar villagers, Julik and his two sons. She starts realizing who was missing, and who the hat Matthew is holding belong to. Her mind instantly clouded with worry. “Where’s Puss?”

Matthew drops his head. “I’m not sure,” He responded, “He’s not on the ship, but I found his hat.” He gives the hat to Dulcinea. She grabbed it and cuddled it close to her as her ears drooped.

“We need to find him.” Her tone lowers. Matthew knows her feeling. But there is still a question lingering in him. _Where are we?_

“Dulcinea, do you know where we are?” Matthew asks, “I didn’t find this place very familiar.” She lifts her head to turn at him, then glances at the tarp, flying up from the wind entering it. She drops from his bed, laying Puss’s hat down in it, and runs outside to see it for herself. A mild ache on her shoulder as she forces herself out.

 _Nothing familiar_. She turns and runs around the tent, seeing noticeable bumps a distance away, trees that danced and shakes with clattering sounds, and a waterfall that fills the bottom lake nearby.

She knows where they’re at.

_That’s El Pueblo._

It is still the brightest of the night as she heads back to the tent. Matthew is asleep, Puss’s hat lays on top of her bed as she nears it. The thoughts couldn’t shut itself. From searching to his Maestro, and now she realizes. _We need to search for Puss too._ She lays herself next to his hat, holding it between her paws. She says one last thing before shutting out.

“Oh Puss, where are you?”

* * *

“The sun casts a straight beam at her face, with the clattering sounds of footsteps as she wakes up. Noticing many of the villagers of Silabad chattering about where they are, with more people entering the hut. In the crowd, she sees a familiar face, offering dried towels and cups of water.

“Imelda!” Dulcinea shouted loud enough for some of the villagers to turn at her, running at Imelda with a hug. “Dulcinea, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Dulcinea lifts her head to gaze at Imelda. “We found ship floating in the outskirts in the storm and crash landed south of here,” Imelda said, “You and your villagers are very lucky, everyone survived.”

Dulcinea quickly says. “No, not everyone. Puss is still out there! Somewhere!” She holds up his hat, Imelda gazes at it, didn’t find it familiar at first, but recognized at a short while later. “Oh him, your beloved.” She uttered. Dulcinea thought of her and Puss’s relationship, thinking it might be obvious enough for everyone to realize. She didn’t mind everyone calling Puss her beloved.

_I hope it’s true_

“Yes,” Dulcinea feels her chest shrinking, “He’s not on the ship, no one saw him?”

Imelda’s lustrous eyes widened, straightening her head to look at the ship. “No, we rescued everyone from the ship. You were all at the lower deck. A huge log was trapping you all inside.”

Dulcinea looks down. “Not even in El Pueblo?” Dulcinea said. The worry in her voice starts to become clear to Imelda. He must mean a lot to her, she thought of being a bad messenger just giving her constant bad news, she tries to turn the tables. “We’ll look for him,” Imelda assures Dulcinea, “But right now, we have other things to worry about. I think the way I remembered Puss when we last saw you two, I think he can handle himself just fine.”

Inside, Dulcinea knows that. She’s seen him fighting through the many impossible feats. He wasn’t the Chosen One, didn’t have any power in the Netherworld, nor had the strength to even make a scratch on the Bloodwolf.

But no matter what, he never gave up fighting, for the good of the town, for the good of the people and especially for her. Imelda is right, she lifted her hopes of finding him, alive.

“if you excuse me, Dulcinea,” Imelda flicks her out of her thoughts. She glances back to her, “I need to help the others here.”

“Sure, Imelda,” Dulcinea replies, turning to see her serve the other villagers. Matthew heading up next to her, she watches him limping. “Are you alright Matthew? You shouldn’t keep getting out of bed.” She notices the number of scars all over his body. His face spattered with purple bruises, and it looked as if it expanded. “Don’t worry about me, Dulcinea.”

 _I do, I care, for you._ She wanted to say it, but it felt stuck as if she shouldn’t. Matthew has a powerful sentiment. She can almost see Puss in him.

“I want to know where Puss is. He’s important, remember? This thing we’re on to. . .” He pauses for a moment, “That old lady said, I can find my father, in the road to his destiny.”

Now she can’t keep her mind off Puss, she wants to do something, immediately. Whatever it takes. Just to see him safe. But she knows it’s not the time, Matthew could barely stand straight. Puss can handle himself, but Matthew is still young. “I want you to feel better first,” she responds, “How can you find your father like that?”

Matthew can see that she’s right. _Alright, fine!_ He thought. He led his way back to his bed. Dulcinea traverses out of the hut, the glaring light blinds her for a moment. The landscape was beautiful, besides the wrecked ship, of course, the remembered the storm. She knows that not much time passed from the formation and shape of the sands that surrounded the ship.

_I can follow the direction of the wind, it can lead me to Puss if he somehow survived._

Dulcinea gathers her thoughts on how she can pull it off. Perhaps another day. She needed to tend to the injured first.

She hopped back inside, heading to Julik, who still rested on his bed. His children being fed bread, and apples by one of the nurses. She turns to the kids. “How are you two doing?”

Boen’s glare at Dulcinea was still as if she’s a nightmare. Then glanced at his father. “Is father okay?”

Both Dulcinea and Rhet shared eyes. She seeing his head wrapped in long strips of bandage made it difficult to look at Rhet’s blueish eyes. They both snapped back at Boen, thinking of an answer that wouldn’t scare him.

“He’s fine,” Dulcinea said, placing her paw at the side of Boen’s face. It felt very comfortable to him as if his mother was touching him, forcing a smile on Dulcinea. Imelda heard Dulcinea’s reply. She goes to her, first trying to hold to the truth. Imelda lets it out calmly. “He’s sick Dulcinea.” She slowly turns to her with a small frown, then back at the two children, thinking they heard it, but the lack of the response from them answered her thoughts. She stands up, leads Imelda away from the kids to spare them from hearing it. “What do you mean?”

“He needs something other than a cold medicine, a small purplish lump formed in his hands,” Imelda explains, “It turned darker ever since we rescued you. I’m not an alchemist, but none of the medicines worked on him.”

Matthew hears the conversation, sits up to join in. “I know what he has.” He catches their attention, then made an impression of scanning a library on his head for the potion. Then peers his eyes back at them. “Nightgale Potion”

“What’s that?” Dulcinea asks, Imelda sharing the same thought.

“It helps calms the Thorobicus System,” he says, “The magic energy that flows around us mages. My father taught me that, because he helped and offered them to mages in the war.”

His lips sink as he explains the difficult part. “The thing is, I’m not sure if there are still Nightgales around. They are purple glowing flowers that used to be in huge numbers, now after many of the Wolf invasions, it seemed less likely to nothing.”

“We won’t know if it’s true unless you tell us where to find one,” Imelda suggests. Matthew’s eye met hers, “It only shines when during midnight. We need to look around near freshwater, they grow where the ground is moist, but in direct sunlight.” Matthew lets his knowledge pour, Dulcinea, taking notes.

“We don’t have much time,” Imelda said, turning over Julik, who groans. She lifted his hands high enough for Dulcinea to see, but for the kids not to. The hand pulsed, purple branches spread itself all over the palm to his finger. “This only happens when too much power of the energy is focused on the hands.” Matthew added, “Did he use his magic?”

Dulcinea remembers their encounter with Bruce when she didn’t want to. “Yes, he used it to protect me.”

_Now it might cost him his life._

_I’m going to save you. I owe you that much for saving me. I can’t bear to think your kids growing up without you, like life, without Puss._


	10. Hide (Alex)

_**Chapter 10: Hide (Alex)** _

The path of soft dirt mixed with sand stretches and twists. It has been three days since their escape. Alex kept having horrific hallucinations of the entire clan just jumping out of the bushes to kill them for their betrayal. He knows Ranji would've just reported that to Bruce. Another voice in him says he won't care less. He just cares for his butt in the throne and his claws upon the throat of every wolf in the Alakapines to serve him and serve them the vengeance he wanted to everyone that wronged him. He turned his attention to Lorr, wondering if he feels the same. His unexpected speech right after made it otherwise. "Pablo, man, where are we going?"

The cat seems to care less as well. Alex slowly turns to him. The black cat with a leather quiver filled with the same purple tipped arrows didn't respond now. But that's probably because Alex and Lorr are with them, so he understood why he had to be cautious. The blacksmith just strays in front of Pablo. Alex guesses he's suspicious of them as well. He spoke, with a deep growling voice. "If I were you, I'd shut up before you can end up like your friends back there." He only turns so his voice directs at Lorr, who made a sideways glance like "alright, alright geez just asking."

Alex couldn't block another thought in his head. His parents, what would happen to them? The land of Rinagrad, where he was raised. Was a monstrosity the last time he was there. Alex would always stay at his bland, poorly built home (most of the time all the wolves would've joined in the clan so they rarely spend time at home), just studying and inventing all kinds of useless things that to his parents, Tunyal and Ciria, sees as "waste of time" asking him why he wasn't destroying the target dummy that was outside for him to use and sever. Tunyal would expect to have a budget to spend for the rest of Alex's childhood to spend on target dummies until he was old enough to join the clan, follow on his footsteps.

He remembers the time he argued once to his father, but he didn't feel like he regrets doing so. But that forced him to join the clan, regardless of where the argument ends, but the last word his father said to Alex is etched to his memories. "If you don't shape up and realize your place, you will be the death to all of us."

_Was father just saying that to scare me? I know I joined but so that he can leave me alone. But is that going to be a reality? Now that I betrayed my clan._

He feels a tug behind him, he didn't realize the amount of time passed and now the land seemed to stretch. The foreground of more of the pointed, tall trees all surrounded with sharp thorns. The group was up higher and the path wiggles down like a snake. Farther was a large cylindrical wall of gray stones but it didn't look like a castle, that blocked the rays of the setting sun. Looking like the sun was a bit in its lower parts. The wall was surrounded with a thin, blue stream that encircles it. Making it look like a small island. Other things surrounded are more paths that spread away from the building. Large houses scatter outside next to the forest on the right, not in a pattern but surrounding those houses are a lot of cut down trees, with figures collecting the wood. Smokes rise above the wall, looking like the wall was a bowl of soup with the spoon sticking out, leaning to the left. Lorr lightly tugs on Pablo, suddenly grabbing on to his crossbow with a sturdy, serious look on his face at Lorr.

"Dude, just a question," Lorr assures him, "Is that where we're going?"

Paulo's hands slowly inches away from the trigger. "I'm risking a lot to keep you guys alive, but now you've seen the Bastion. I have to keep an eye on you two." Lorr sighs with disgust. "Dude, you didn't even answer my question."

Alex glances back at the Bastion, Pablo and the Blacksmith already continuing from the path, Alex grabs Lorrs shoulders, just as soon as he follows them. "Lorr, maybe it's better if you stop asking about things from them." Alex says, "Clearly they both don't trust us."

"Dude," Lorr sweeps Alex's hands off him, "I want to make sure we know where we're going, what if they're going to put us into another cage? That's no different than at Silabad."

Lorr made a good point. Unsure of the troubles they will cause once they make it to the Bastion. Alex sees behind him that Pablo and the Blacksmith watch them, Alex pushes Lorr to decrease their suspicions, he thinks that they suspect them of planning something once they make it to the Bastion. "Lorr, we aren't any safer back at Silabad. We need to let them know we're not one of them."

Lorr didn't turn to him, with a small gesture of disagreement. Alex knows they are risking a lot just to hide from the Alakapines. It makes it seem easy when he says it. But how will they execute it?

The four rejoins, the forest flourishes with sounds of critters and the tweets of birds. Alex doesn't reminisce the times he heard the sound of peace. It made a small smile to carve out on his face until the huge shadow in front of them grows bigger.

In front of them is the Bastion, guarded by the townspeople and those that have suffered in Silabad, seeing other villages that had burns and scratches upon their poorly made clothing. The fences stretch far and wide that follows the river. It looked like a stream from the high hills, but it is rough, it is huge. A think bridge connects the walls to the outside world. With people surrounding the bridge. He didn't take long to realize they are guards, but they look like anyone else and they don't share the same clothing. They only share the same weapon which are white pointed spears and crossbows that matches Pablo's. He steps forward, with the sudden charge of the guards running to Alex and Lorr, getting ready for a fight until Pablo stops them with his hands out. "Don't!"

"What are they doing here?" One of the guards questions him. "Are you out of your mind bringing them in?" The guard is intimidatingly big, spouting a one-pointed beard that both dangles swiftly with the gliding wind. He wears a look of a ragged shirt that had a small V-shaped rip below the waistline, wearing brown gloves with tatters of scars in his thigh, looks like it was damage from wolves. His eyes meet Alex, clearly disgusted with their presence, his glare shoots back to Pablo, giving him the same look.

"Are you questioning me, Henry?" Pablo says with a threatening voice; he adjusts his eyes to lock onto Henry's. "These—two," Pablo shoots his hand to them, "has already seen this place, they said they don't work for those arrogant fools they call a clan." Henry takes a step forward, then he and Pablo shot a glance at both wolves. Lorr looking as if he's ready for a fight. "But that doesn't matter Henry, these two are stuck with me and my eyes will never escape them." Henry's face changes.

"We should execute them, give the Alakapines a warning and a view to their fate when they mess with us." Henry turns to Pablo. Alex already feels reluctant to stay any longer and to run away already. The other guards' surrounding them cheers for that idea.

"No," Pablo utters, "I have a better idea in mind for these two if what they say is true."

Henry grunts as if fire would've shot out of his nose. Alex thinks that he would've liked a public execution. Lorr quietly leans his head next to Alex. "Perhaps it's better if we get out of here don't ya think? They are literally no different than Bruce." Lorr whispers.

"Lorr, we need to show them that we can be trusted." Alex replies, "Doing that and they are sure to never trusts us. We need to find a place to hide, and I think this is a great place to hide."

Alex sees in his peripheral that Lorr realizes he's right. Lorr didn't respond and stands back.

"You two," Pablo stands in front of them, catching both their attention. "Prove me your loss of loyalty to your pack. I have a job for you."

"They walk inside, the large walls hide a large town. A refuge from the people that have survived and lost their homes to the strength of the Alakapines. Small, poorly built houses as a temporary home for many of the people around. Children scatter playing, Along the wall were more of the guards equipped with crossbows Huddle Alex sees in front a large building of study wood and ceramic tiled roof. Guards posted in each of the corners that made it look like they are guarding a castle. A large mahogany door stands in the way as Henry opens the door, inside looked like royalty would live in. Scented candles light up inside, outside was a mess of sounds while inside mutes it. Turning toward a doorway to the right lands a room filled with couches and the view of the main path that overlooks the entrance where anyone could see who comes in.

Henry sits down to feel comfortable. He gestures Alex and Lorr an offer to sit as well.

"I really want to trust you two." Pablo says in a calming matter, "Of all the people and places that I saved throughout, turning your back to your clan? That's something you don't see every day."

Alex feels that this plan to make Pablo trust them might work. He didn't want to lose this chance. "Well, honestly it was Alex's idea."

Alex gestures him with his hand to be silent. "Lorr, I know you feel the same way."

"R-right, that's true," Lorr replies. Pablo and Alex glance upon each other, with Pablo's curious posture. "I'm—we not blind to the reality of my clans doing." Alex's chest tightens with the dead eyes of Pablo as if he can see through his own soul. Alex continues, but in his voice, he can hear himself struggling to form the words. "We know it isn't right, even if it's in our nature to take things. Whatever you want us to do to prove our change in the alliance, we will do it without question."

Pablo's ears twitches, getting up to gather two swords from a hanging viewer and throws it to Alex and Lorr, catching it. Pablo heads out from the front door to a stair that leads to the second floor. Alex follows looking at Lorr, nudging his head to follow suit. Eventually, Lorr nods.

They climb up to where Pablo was looking at, standing next to him as he points out in the wall. "There, that direction." Pablo says, "There is a large patrol of the clan camping too close from here." He lifts his head to lock eyes with Alex who has the hunch of what he wants them to do.

"Eliminate them or make them leave."


End file.
